What If I Told You America is a SMALL Country?

[@jeanieschrag5378]

I worked with a British girl working on a visa in Maryland. At the end of the summer, she wanted to visit California she had 5 days. I thought she was flying... but no, she wanted to drive. I was like... hummm, you can't drive there in that time. Forget driving back. She was floored.😂😂

[@bigscarysteve]

I've had that experience many times with Europeans visiting America. I always ask them, "Did you bother to look at a map?"

[@corruptedpoison1]

You can but you basically have to cannon ball it.

[@evelynwilson1566]

It happens with Americans visiting the UK too but it's the opposite - they think everything's within an hour's drive. I used to work in the tourist trade in Scotland and our American visitors were always lovely and keen to see my country, but they really did struggle with the idea that they couldn't see everything they wanted to in one day. We're small, but not THAT small😛. It's funny to hear that British people going to the US are having a similar problem, but in reverse🤣. I think the key lesson to learn is - always use a map! Thanks Laurence, from a fellow map fan in slightly sunny Scotland.. Oh and thank you for explaining Panhandle. I've heard that so often but never really understood what it meant. Was this deliberate to allow states access to major rivers, coastline etc should borders be enforced?.

[@catgirl6803]

I'm in Maryland and several people told me that I have to do a road trip to CA at least once in my life. And I'm like, why? no. I'll fly. Lol. I just don't want to add that much time to my trip, because yea it's like 4-5 days especially when you're by yourself. It'll add 8-10 days to my trip when I'd rather be exploring California. And what do you see on the way there? It's probably all just boring freeway.

[@corruptedpoison1]

@@catgirl6803 the scenery in the "fly over states" is very worth a cross country drive.

[@jcortese3300]

Texas even trips up Americans from other states. I remember when I lived in southern CA and was going to fly out to see a friend in Houston. I also knew someone who lived in El Paso, and I knew only that it was also in Texas but had no clue where. I was gently informed that El Paso was EXACTLY as far from Houston as it was from Los Angeles. Not only is that state huge, but it's got a lot of sticky-outie bits that exacerbate things.

[@2Quietus]

Truly. If you drive the speed limit (70-75mph), it takes roughly 10 hours to drive from Texarkana (Eastern border of Texas) to El Paso (Western-most point in Texas). So essentially you can drive all day and still be in Texas. I live in Abilene Texas so seems like it takes most of the day to just get OUT of Texas when driving!

[@garyballard179]

Yep, 12 hours from my house to El Paso - and I wouldn't ever leave the state.

[@drdoan993]

what Texans don't want you to remember is that Alaska is twice the size/sqmi as TX.

[@2Quietus]

@@drdoan993 While true, you cant drive from one end of Alaska to the other like Texas. There are areas simply inaccessible by vehicle and you must fly in, not to mention no paved interstates or highways. So, technically yes its a larger state but a false equivalency with regards to travel, as the video is the basis thereof.

[@garyballard179]

@@drdoan993 Nah, we don't mind at all about Alaska's size. One, you can't drive across Alaska. Two, they're our northern brothers. Three, the US swindled Russia in getting that land.

[@Finn_Anwarunya]

I feel like the reason New England is small is because they were still trying to make things "England sized". Then we realized how much more land had to mapped and the cartographers were like "uhhhhh....this bigass area"

[@duotronicnone4572]

Also, on the east coast, they could fit place names in the ocean that didn't fit inside the state lines...but moving west, they all had to fit in the state so they made them bigger.😉

[@dickJohnsonpeter]

Seriously though I think it was practical reasons. Manifest destiny existed from its discovery.

[@smspirate]

@@duotronicnone4572 LOL

[@scipio7]

I grew up in Salem, NH, which is approximately 30 minutes on the interstate away from Salem, Mass. But when they were founded, it took at least two days, often more, to go between them. Much less likely to be confused with that type of scale in mind.

[@geraldwalker7609]

We are watching this as we celebrate visiting our state #50- Oregon. 🎉

[@merkinert3773]

I knew a friend in NYC who had family come from eastern Europe to visit for a week or two. He was so excited to show them around. The first evening he asked what they wanted to see. They said LA. Then Miami. Then Texas.

[@GrumpyMeow-Meow]

Oh my! 😂😂😂

[@georgiykireev9678]

What this tells me immediately is that they weren't from Russia, probably not Ukraine either. Those countries are big enough to give an idea of what traveling over a thousand kilometres by car or train is like

[@hughmcaloon6506]

Racking up those frequent flier miles!

[@TanyaOwens]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@cajuncraftysue]

😮😅😅

[@lolarogers2313]

Having grown up in the Western U.S., it's been a weird experience to travel on the Eastern Seaboard. I was once in Baltimore and decided to take the train to visit my friend in D.C. I was dumbfounded to learn that the trip takes less than 40 minutes. And I was amazed to learn that two cities that close together do not meet--there's woods and stuff in between! The East Coast is another country.

[@jefferyparker4277]

Uh!! Think you got that backwards. The west is another country - with very few people in most of it.

[@lolarogers2313]

​@@jefferyparker4277 Yes, there are a lot fewer people in the west. 58% of Americans live east of the Mississippi, 42% west, in a much larger amount of space. I've had friends from Europe who were visiting Southern California email me and ask if I could pop down from Seattle for a visit while they were there. They had no idea it was a 2-day drive. And I had no idea that I could go from DC to Baltimore in the time it takes me to drive across town here.

[@jefferyparker4277]

@@lolarogers2313 While your numbers are correct, they really don't represent how empty most of the west is. A large percentage of the 42% west of the Mississippi live just barely west. Something like the eastern 60% hold 80% of the population. The overwhelming majority of the population that is left is in California and a few cities. The west is pretty well empty. (as an example - Colorado and Montana 250,000 square miles 6.3 million people - almost all in cities in Colorado. Georgia and Florida 125,000 square miles 33 million people and while there are rural areas and dense cities, people are pretty spread out all over both states.

[@lolarogers2313]

@@jefferyparker4277 Yes, that is one of the major differences between the east and the west. I have seen it with my own eyes, as I mentioned.

[@jefferyparker4277]

@@lolarogers2313 I was born and raised in Atlanta. I went out west for the first time in my 40's. What I was blown away by was the lack of trees. (Arizona / Nevada). I felt like I could see forever. Eastern people really have no concept of wide open spaces. If there are not building and and other people, there are trees.

[@martinwalker9386]

I had a cheat code. I flew from the Philippines to Japan to Anchorage, Alaska to Travis AFB in California. Even though we spent at least 45 minutes at each stop we landed 15 minutes after we started. The International Date Line does strange things.

[@scottgrohs5940]

You time traveler, you.

[@jimgorycki4013]

Sounds like one of those space-a mac hops my former shop chief once told me about. He went from khorat Thailand to Clark to hickham to travis

[@markwalker3499]

That happened to me when going to spend a few months in Australia. Going there took more than 24 hours in airports and the air, but two days by the calendar, and I woke up the morning of the flight with the worst cold in years, making the trip twice as long. But going back to the states I got to San Francisco only a few hours after I left Melbourne, via Auckland and LA.

[@draskuul]

I'm from San Antonio, basically the center of Texas. I spent a few years working just north of Los Angeles. Driving back and forth it always blew people's minds when I told them that the halfway point of that trip was still in Texas (El Paso).

[@lo1bo2]

Driving from Arizona to Texas on I-10 feels quick because you don't spend much time in New Mexico.

[@nilo70]

Most of Texas is empty empty empty empty. So it’s big , big deal. California is the most populous state in America. Could take Texas population and add that to a couple more or so states population and …….. it’s still less. 😊. Cheers From California 🎉

[@JamieStuff]

And then if you are in the town of Anthony, TX (I-10 right on the New Mexico border), you're closer (highway miles) to California than to Dallas.

[@pattyeverett2826]

I live in central Texas and have taken the drive from my home to Amarillo(one the way to Colorado Springs), it takes all day. BTW, the second largest canyon in the US, Palo Duro Canyon, is just south of Amarillo. I have also taken I 10 to San Diego to visit my wife's relatives and as another commenter said, El Paso is halfway. Many years ago, I was at a B&B in Scotland on vacation, I told the story about driving from Texas to California. The distance is about 1100 miles. From their faces, I got they impression that they were amazed you could drive so far in one country.

[@introvertswag6494]

I used to live in Texas, and it honestly has thrown off my sense of distance lol. I'm in Tennessee now and I always feel so confused when I can drive half an hour from Nashville to Kentucky border lol

[@melaniemitchell6872]

There's a spot where Maryland's panhandle is only 2 miles wide. In colonial times, nobody knew how close the Potomac River and the Mason Dixon line would come. Bonus: The Maryland panhandle is stacked on top of the West Virginia panhandle, so you can do Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia in less than an hour.

[@LindaC616]

Ooh,! Fun tips, thx!

[@UTubeHandlesSuck]

I've been across that point. At night, in a horrific thunderstorm. Missed an exit in the rain and literally ended up 2 states away in 5 minutes. 🤣🤣

[@LindaC616]

@@UTubeHandlesSuck 🤣

[@melaniemitchell6872]

[Pins a prize on Shay's comment]

[@bigscarysteve]

Please never, never use the term "the West Virginia panhandle"! There's the northern panhandle of West Virginia, and there's the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. People from West Virginia really don't appreciate people using the term "the West Virginia panhandle"--it's incorrect!

[@xvillin]

I had a German Couchsurfer visit me in Alaska and she thought she could just take a bus or train to the bus where Chris McCandless died in Denali national Park. She thought it was like a day trip. We tried to tell her but she just wouldn't listen because she was so obsessed with it. It's a several hour drive from Anchorage, then you have to go down a six or eight hour dirt road all the way to the end in the park, and then hike into the wilderness thirty miles or so into the middle of absolute f****** nowhere. We got to hurricane gulch on our motorcycles before she wanted us to turn around. We really weren't planning on doing it all. We knew she would give up. But then she asked to go to Healy way up north to see the fake bus. Then we were like hell no we only have a f****** weekend.

[@johnsmith-jk9ol]

As someone who spent most of their life in the larger western states and has recently moved to the midwest (iowa) the sheer difference in distance perception is staggering. What people here consider a long drive is basically like going next door back home. Anything over 30 minutes to them is far.

[@markwalker3499]

My hometown was halfway between San Francisco and Portland Oregon. PDX was 354 miles and SF was 357 miles. And it is all forested mountains and back then curvy highways. Except I-5 in Oregon but that road was obsolete even in the 1970s, they need a new 6 lane freeway from Washington to California. The old 4 lane freeway is really 1950s design and traffic is at least twice the vehicles it was designed for. But as a teen I was a lead foot and the speed limit on 101 was mostly 65, so I could make it to SF in 7 hours. I did know people that would stop about halfway and make it a two day trip.

[@johnsmith-jk9ol]

@@markwalker3499 yep I have been through there a few times as I have an Aunt in s california and most of Mom's family is in sw Oregon

[@kitefan1]

When I drove on I-40 across AR in the 90s my rental unit kept dropping out of cruise control because the road surface was so patched from the semi trucks. I was impressed with how bad it was. I come from RI where they have finally wrested the road budget away from the State Assembly and are re-pairing them on a non-political basis. @@markwalker3499

[@mrswjr4061]

Agree. I just moved the Midwest from AZ and while both cities are the same size (population wise, around 300k) it takes only 15 minutes to get across town. In AZ it took 15 minutes just to get to the freeway entrance.

[@karinwolf3645]

I live in Arizona... Shopping is 30 minutes away... My work was also 30 minutes away... I live out in the styx, on a dirt raod. "you might be a redneck" territory. I just know if we mow the weeds we'll find a car!! 😆😆🌵👵🐺🎶💋💖🎉

[@riverlady982]

As an American who's finally gotten to travel through some other States I'm always impressed by the differences in topography and plant life from State to State and sometimes even from one end to the other of one.

[@BadgerCheese94]

The plant life aspect is really cool.

[@riggs20]

Agreed! I’m a Florida native and took my first trip to New York in 2008. I was surprised to see the pine trees are totally different than the ones down here!

[@protorhinocerator142]

I have driven through every state to the east of the Mississipi River. I think that's enough. Ohio is one of those different states. I typically drive from Cincinnati to Wheeling West Virginia. On the eastern side of Ohio it's endless hills, as part of the Appalachian Mountain range. On the western side, somewhere around Columbus it gets super flat. They need to build these big earthen ramps to make a proper bridge over the Interstate. But then as you get close to Cincinnati the hills start back up.

[@Lemonjellow]

Indiana has major terrain changes... called potholes.

[@farmergiles1065]

Well, seven of the eight major types of climate found in North America exist within Washington state. Now there's diversity!

[@sheronlee152]

The funniest mileage sign I saw was in texas. Somewhere in southeast texas a highway sign read Houston-80 El Paso-tomorrow. 😅

[@johncooper4637]

Houstonian here, I have not seen that one.

[@Max-zg2ci]

This country is so diverse, each state may as well be it own country. When you look at it through that scope, this country is a lot smaller than you’d think. I imagine that’s why Americans feel, almost a secondary patriotic feeling in a way, towards the state they hail from. I’ve always found that fascinating

[@smashedbread]

I think it was meant to be like that. Separate states (small countries) with their own governments and state military (national guard and militias) that have a common federal government to protect it and oversee multi state issues. Kind of like european countries and the EU

[@onlyonestarwarsfan5337]

A lot of Europeans don’t realize this. They think “American” is one homogeneous culture and that cannot be further from the truth.

[@CraigChrist8239]

We do have more alike than different. I think people just feel patriotic about their state because humans need reasons to hate other humans, even when we're on the same side

[@bigscarysteve]

@@smashedbread You're exactly right. Although we tend to think of the word "state" as a synonym for "province" nowadays, its original meaning was "nation." The change was effected as a result of the Civil War.

[@theglitchcounter264]

@@CraigChrist8239 people will always do that, when you can look at someone and say “why do they get ____ and not me” they will

[@cgallagher1901]

Since Canada pokes down in it's own special way into the States (I'm not sure it counts as a panhandle) you can also do New York - Ontario - Michigan in 4.5 hours and hit 2 states, one province, and 2 countries! That's much more like going through Europe, only you end up back in the same country despite consistently traveling West.

[@editingsecrets]

"Just a small town girl, born and raised in South Detroit" which means she was really from Windsor, Canada!

[@diamondlou1]

Yep, living in VT my wife used to make the NY-Ontario-MI trip to see family. It was a lot easier back then - no passport needed!

[@Matt50gt]

From Central California and spent a few weeks in England. Rented a car and drove about 70 miles from Heathrow to Chichester for a day long event. People I talked to were surprised I drove such a long distance to get there lol

[@MikeS91712]

Wondering if Laurence has planned a road trip to Hawaii yet.

[@lancekirkwood7922]

😂😂😂😂😂 I would certainly hope not.

[@bigscarysteve]

If he does, he'd better make sure his windshield wipers are in good working order beforehand.

[@alberthartl8885]

It must be possible. They have 'Interstate' highways in Hawaii! 😂

[@Otokichi786]

After that, Laurence could take a trip to Alaska. I wonder if the AlCan highway is a tad too long to be driven by wheeled transport?

[@mariantreber8055]

@@Otokichi786 Imagine going into that wilderness in an electric car...lol.

[@aidanb.c.2325]

Thanks to your promo, my mother has been watching Father Brown incessantly for weeks. If a crime occurs in her congregation, she's now ready to aid in the investigation. Well done, sir.

[@lizlee6290]

Lol, I love it! 😄

[@StefMiswatchinghervideos]

Lol that's awesome!

[@billolsen4360]

If a Church of England pastor is a woman, does the Congregation call her "Mother Brown"?

[@christophertaylor9100]

Tell her to read the books, the show is a travesty

[@Kwisatz-Chaderach]

GK Chesterton is the man.

[@jeffdege4786]

BTW - there is a very important tourist hotspot not far from Cairo - Metropolis IL, home of Superman and location of the Superman Museum.

[@editingsecrets]

I thought Ma & Pa Kent were from Smallville, Kansas!

[@solarbirdyz]

Thanks to interstates and the grid system, the complete directions to my old house in Seattle, Washington from Boston, Massachusetts were: 1) Get on I-90 going west. 2) Turn right on I-5. 3) Turn right on NE 45th St. 4) Turn left on 20th Ave NE. We're on the right. That's four turns. Directions that simple to get all the way across the country? Clearly, not big at all. xD

[@pahtar7189]

I also lived in Seattle, but to get to our house you'd replace 3) with "Do you know how to get through the Mercer Mess?" If the answer (as usual) was "Uh, no," we had to add, "Exit to Mercer (from the left lane), turn right (at the Toe Truck), turn left, the road changes names, turn right on Harrison, right on 5th North, left on Roy (one end of the Mercer Mess), pass the Blob (a building), right on Queen Anne, up the Counterbalance, left on Galer, right on 4th West." Take out six turns if the answer to the question was yes.

[@richardpare3538]

Had friends from Holland come over for a visit a few years ago ( to Indianapolis). They wanted to visit Chicago in the morning, then go see Yosemite in the afternoon...... So much for that thought!

[@kecopenh]

You missed one in the South. The route from Pensacola, FL to New Orleans, LA takes you from Florida to Alabama, Mississippi, and finally Louisiana. It's a gorgeous drive along the coast, and only about 2.5 hours long, give or take. I highly recommend trying it if you're either in Pensacola or New Orleans.

[@silverwolfe3636]

Yeah but no one can make that trip without stopping in Biloxi for some food and gambling lol.

[@Cillana]

I took that trip once (but I started in Houston and went all the way to Okeechobee). On my way home I took the scenic route (Hwy 90) between Mobile, AL and the Pearl river (LA/MS state line).

[@vortexathletic]

I did that last year. I go to school in Pensacola, and my friends and I went to the WW2 museum in New Orleans

[@glennrishton5679]

To add another state in the trip start across the FL/GA line drop down to I-10 and head west.

[@deneentorkelson5705]

I’ve done that myself. It’s not a bad ride on I-10, but the best gorgeous ride is on Highway90. I totally agree with you .

[@edjarrett3164]

I have flown and driven across the States. The perspective is different when you travel on the ground, which I have done. What’s impressive are the communities and the people. I learned this flying into communities I had zero clue about. The communities and people blew me away. I didn’t know how to describe how wonderful and welcoming they were. People badmouth the heartland of America, but they are the best folks you can associate with.

[@willp.8120]

As someone from the South, I thought it sounded kind of almost put-on like when I stopped in a gas station near Wisconsin Dells and heard the woman's upper midwestern accent. It sounded so strange to my ears.

[@am2dan]

@@willp.8120 Driving from the Midwest to Atlanta for a college visit in my youth our first stop was in Murfreesboro, TN, for gas. The strong southern accents I heard knocked my socks off. My wife has great aunts on the Gulf coast of Mississippi who almost sound like they're trying to mock southern accents, theirs is so strong.

[@willp.8120]

@@am2dan Murfreesboro and Nashville used to have a strong southern accent. They did so as recently as about 2000, but there have been so many transplants move in that it has been diluted. Knoxville and Johnson City are still fairly typical southern sounding for their areas. Tennessee, however, has a different accent than much of the South. I'd put it like this: Appalachian Twang/Drawl: Eastern Tennessee, Central and Southern West Virginia, Eastern Kentucky, southwest Virginia, far northwest Georgia, and far northeast Alabama. Piedmont Southern (least drawlish, but a cool sounding southern accent.) Think natives to the areas of Atlanta, Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Raleigh, and the Upstate of South Carolina. Mainly found east and south of the Appalachian Twang accent throughout most of Northern Georgia (besides far northwest Georgia), Upstate and Middle South Carolina, the I-85 corridor of North Carolina, Virginia east of the mountains and west of I-95. Coastal Southern/Deep South: This is a thick southern drawl found throughout most of Alabama, Mississippi, south Georgia, southern and parts of coastal South Carolina, parts of eastern North Carolina, northern Louisiana, southern Arkansas, western Tennessee.

[@the13nthpartyboy]

I had a job calling doctor's offices about insurance stuff all over North America. If I only had to call offices in the heartland I wouldn't have wanted to blow my brains out coming into work everyday. They were always pleasant and helpful.

[@HariSeldon913]

I've done about half of the States, but I don't count just driving through (not even stopping for gas). I only count if I've actually stopped for at least a few hours and to some extent actually experienced the state. For instance, I don't count New York even though I've had layovers there on two different trips, but I never took a single step outdoors.

[@yensid4294]

There was an interesting series from a few years back called How the States Got Their Shapes. Borders, especially out west were often determined by rivers & water & mineral rights as well as natural geographical formations like mountain ranges, deserts & lakes. Most of the rectangular states are in the midwest/southwest for a reason. Water is a big political issue on the westcoast, especially in Calif & Nevada.

[@Mick_Ts_Chick]

I was wondering if someone would mention that. That was a good show! I got hooked on it fast.

[@GrumpyMeow-Meow]

Yes I learned a lot from that show.

[@MuriKakari]

I don't know if you can still find the show, but I have the book it was based on.

[@chicken_punk_pie]

You just unlocked some deep memories, thanks!

[@Sorrowdusk]

​@@MuriKakari it's definitely on streaming I'm sure.

[@topaz3468]

As usual, you are a hoot! LOL 😅. When my siblings and I were teenagers, my father suddenly panicked bc we would be leaving the nest soon. So he decided to spend 2 summers ( 1973 & 1974) traversing the wild wild west in a 4 door Ford with no air conditioning, and very little money. The only state we didn't see was Alaska I realized when I was older. We stayed in cheap dusty motels left over from the 30's, and occasionally were treated to the Holiday Inn if my parents were too exhausted. LOL. It was an amazing experience, in spite of the car breaking down once on a deserted old highway. 🥴

[@ashakir622]

I love how the notion of domestic air travel is almost uniquely American. It blows the minds of so many non-Americans that we travel around our own country via airplanes. It's also why so many Americans don't have passports. For them, it's like, why vacation abroad when there's so much to see all across the States, and-depending on the destination-that can cost as much, if not more?

[@GravesRWFiA]

For brits not understanding the size I used to live in NY, my sister , lives in Kent, came for a visit and wanted to know if we could drive to chicago *for a day*

[@msa4548]

Well, you could drive there in a day.

[@Charlesb88]

It would take about 13 hours to drive to Chicago from NYC so about 26 hours both direction if you didn't stop in Chicago, just did a U-turn back. So that's a little more then a day but close. It you allow for two days you could get their by Dinner (Leave 6am) and see some sights the next morning and be back by midnight if you leave by noon (or leave at 6pm and be back by 6am by sharing the driving).

[@msa4548]

@@Charlesb88 I'm just saying that you could get there in a day.

[@bigscarysteve]

I had friends who had guests from Israel visit them once. The guests wanted to make a day trip to California. We live on the East coast! My friends' daughter commented that they made going to California sound like walking around the block!

[@grace7701]

​@bigscarysteve308 😂 I can't help but get tickled at how people outside the US don't realize how huge this country is and think they can see all 4 corners of the US in a week, driving no less. I live in South Carolina and I won't do less then a week visiting my family in Rhode Island if flying and at least a week and a half or more if driving since it takes me 2 days up and 2 back (though when I was in my 20s I would sometimes do it in 1 but it's miserable to drive 18 hrs in one day and not be a total zombie the next day).

[@ConservativeVeteran]

I love America and highly recommend cross-country road trips for every citizen....so fun and educational! I've done it several times. I've been in every state except Hawaii. Bucket list item! My son took my grandchildren out west spring break of last year. They did the four state intersection...I did it as a kid as well. God bless America!

[@stevedietrich8936]

I've been to all 50. My 50th was Arkansas, and I had to "cheat" a little to get it. We were driving across northern Louisiana on I-10 and I knew Arkansas was only some 35, or so, miles to our north. I suggested to my wife that we make a detour and bag number 50. I was only in Arkansas for about 15 minutes before angling a route back to I-10. I have favorites among the 50 but there is something to see, and good people, everywhere.

[@ConservativeVeteran]

@@stevedietrich8936 It's not 'cheating'....you intentionally drove to Arkansas, not just an airport/change planes thing. Yes, so many good people and such beauty! We Americans are blessed! 🗽 God bless America!

[@JamieStuff]

As an over the road trucker, I hit 47 of the "lower 48" in my first two years of driving. It took another two years to get #48, Maine. In the decade I've been driving, I've done six states in one day twice. I manage 5 states once every few weeks or so.

[@sunnyhill8179]

Wow! You've gained an interesting perspective.

[@quietpsycho1]

I was looking for this comment. I've been on the road 3 years now, and the only states I haven't seen are South Dakota, Alaska, and Hawaii.

[@darylb5564]

I’m a driver as well. I do 6 states in a day pretty regularly. I was in a Loves one time and I asked the lady what state I was in. When she said Maryland I said that wouldn’t have been in my first 3 guesses!😂

[@higgme1ster]

It's a matter of trust. I automatically clicked "thumbs up" without watching a moment. You're always good for it.

[@karenblalock8869]

A lifelong Texan, I've always been as fascinated by the U.K. as you were by the U.S. All I've managed is a trip to London, & would love to see more of GB. I can verify that yes, in Texas we measure travel in hours not miles (with the assumption of driving at top speed). Although Kansas is measurably smaller, when driving roads surrounded by nothing but corn, it goes on forever. Congratulations on making your house into your home! Thanks for the memos you drop for us to enjoy.

[@cnut5475]

It doesnt make kansas seem any shorter when you can drive out of Kansas city and see Denver all the way across between the sunflower fields the entire way. I swear they counter sink the trees to keep it flatter.

[@loganleroy8622]

Hey! If you’re going to insult the state and our beautiful gentle slope up to the Rocky Mountains at least get it right. Wheat is the main grain product here. If you want corn go to Nebraska or Iowa, it doesn’t rain nearly enough in the western half of the state to grow lots of corn. There’s nothing wrong with a stress free drive in a straight line for 7 hours with the beautiful open sky above you.

[@ajb.822]

Here in m/l rural Wisconsin, we almost always reply in minutes, not miles, when asked how far something is, too.

[@loganleroy8622]

@@ajb.822 But in the Midwest, especially in rural areas you give directions with compass headings because everything's laid out on a grid. "Head 2 miles east then head north for 5 miles."

[@sunnyhill8179]

Years ago I drove with 3 young children all the way across Kansas length-wise to Colorado Springs. It was an unending trip, hours & hours of flat land that looked all the same, large white farm houses interspersed here & there on vast acreage of farmland. I was gob-smacked! LOL

[@thesecondlemming2619]

Tip for anyone the eastern seaboard of the U.S is close together relatively so, it is also a nightmare if you don’t have any idea of when and how to avoid traffic. I have been stuck doing two hour trips that have take 6 hours, so be careful and drive in the morning.

[@jamesm2577]

This so much. You can shave off hours by skipping a meal to get ahead of traffic before it starts & getting the next one on the other side of rush hour or stop for a good meal & nature walk or whatever without adding any time of note to your drive if you time things right

[@rtyria]

When my parents had a long trip ahead of them, they would start after everyone else had gone to bed and drive all night. Usually the only other traffic on the road would be trucks.

[@jenna6149]

Absolutely this. I used to drive from Charlotte to Boston on the reg and timed right I could do it in 12 hours. Pack car friendly snacks and other than the occasional pee stop it was great.

[@bufordghoons9981]

Shh! Don't tell him about I-95 or he'll pack up and move back to Britain.

[@piperbird7193]

You can also save time by avoiding toll roads. They look longer on a map, but you aren't queued up to get through the tolls.

[@mediumjohnsilver]

One day after work, I parked my car in Old Town Alexandria and _walked_ on the pedestrian path on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge from Virginia, though the District of Columbia, and into Maryland within a half hour. The borders are marked by brass fixtures in the pavement. The southern spur of DC territory comes to a point 100 feet south of the bridge.

[@kajunkat72]

Lawrence, have you been to Lookout Mountain in Tennessee? 7 states can be seen from one spot. Ruby falls is also there and amazing as well. 🙂

[@tremkl]

My story on this subject: I’ve lived most of my adult life in Southern California, and sadly despite the vast swathes of authentic Mexican food available to me, one of my favorite comfort foods is Del Taco. Is there anything authentic about a chicken soft taco smothered in mayo? No. Does it warm me to my very core? Absolutely. At one point in my life I moved to Portland, OR, and at the time it only had two Del Tacos in the whole state. One on the CA border and one like 2 hours away in Salem. Fortunately, Portland is right in the border with Washington, and there was a Del Taco just one or two exits north of the border. It really amused me that technically I was driving across state lines just for trashy fast food, but it was only like a 15 minute drive, and the view driving over the river was gorgeous.

[@editingsecrets]

When I returned from Portland to L.A. my brother mentioned Del Taco and I learned it's a real chain. From the same guy who invented Taco Bell.

[@didibrant7326]

Isn't it funny how sometimes our dreams come true? I moved to Connecticut from California decades ago and worried about getting Mexican food. Fortunately, I could get all the ingredients. More recently, moved from California to Utah and was dying for several years for raw pickled herring. Last week found a Norwegian brand "Vita" at my local Walmart. Miracles do happen. And it had the perfect flavor. Not loaded with sugar as a long ago German brand was.

[@tremkl]

@@didibrant7326 I’m pretty sure Harmons has everything. I’ve visited Utah a couple times and that grocery store is amazing. The one in downtown SLC is two stories and has a dedicated room for cooking classes. >.>

[@markwalker3499]

I lived in Medford, that one on the CA border you mentioned and I really loved the tacos there. But then one day I went and the price had nearly doubled that week and the tacos were just ridiculous bite sized things, serious took 3 bites to finish one. I stopped going even though I really liked them. We actually had two in Medford.

[@choccolocco]

I miss del taco. We had them in Alabama for years, then they decided to close shop and leave. Much better food than Taco Bell.

[@katehenry2718]

Just a note: as former cross country truck driver, coast to coast is 3000 miles. AT speed limit team driving 8 hrs each member, it takes three days for the trip. PIcked up a plane engine in Boston harbor, drove to Seatle docks in 3 days. We drove all landlocked states, some of Canada and some of Mexico in 6 months. Loved every minute of it )))

[@Deathnotefan97]

I have a friend who lived in Pennsylvania for a time (I'm from Texas) and he had an Uncle who lived in NYC I was visiting him during spring break and his uncle was on vacation, meaning his apartment was empty, and my family always wanted to visit NYC, so they got permission to use his apartment Now I am aware that Pennsylvania and New York are states that border each other, but Pennsylvania is also a relatively large state, and my friend lived on the western side of it, driving there would have taken the better part of a day But the train got us there in a little under 2 hours, we only stayed 2 nights, but if we had driven, we would have only really had 1 day to see the sights, but the train gave us 3 days Trains are pretty great

[@smokedbrisket3033]

the drive across PA isn't THAT bad. from Youngstown, OH to Washington, DC, for example, is only about 250 miles. that's a shorter drive than when I go from Houston to Baton Rouge to visit my family, which is a little more than 300 miles.

[@Deathnotefan97]

@@smokedbrisket3033 you forget the massive amount of traffic that perpetually surrounds and permeates NYC 24/7 Yeah, driving across PA wouldn’t have been that bad, but New York would have been another matter

[@smokedbrisket3033]

@@Deathnotefan97 - true enough, but ain't exactly like driving around DC is a walk in the park, either.

[@Drave_Jr.]

To help better explain for the British fans, panhandles are like a political boundary version of a peninsula

[@Gandhi_Physique]

"Political Peninsula" has a good ring to it

[@thesweetone]

Im from ontario canada. I live in the east part and a relative from Europe visited ages ago and they said they wanted to see manitoba, it would be a ahoet drive. We laughed, they didnt get it. They said they would be back that night. Its a 22hour drive non atop to the border. They got back that night but only made it like 300 miles. Lol.

[@mikecumbo7531]

One of the guys I used to work with lived in Hamilton, ON. He had relatives fly in from Scotland, his aunt asked if my associate saw his brother often, the brother lived somewhere else in On, six hours away. She didn’t realize the size of the province. Before any Texas folks say anything, Ontario is bigger than Texas. Living in Maryland is fun, aside from the traffic, you can get to a number of other states rather quickly.

[@SouthwesternEagle]

I rode my Harley-Davidson XL883 from Newtown, Connecticut to Phoenix, Arizona in 2010. It took nearly a week. This is a HUGE country. America, with its diverse climates and land masses from the tropics to the arctic, feels like the entire world to those of us born and raised here. In our minds, each state is like a separate country. For example, driving from Washington to Idaho is like going from France to the UK; the differences in laws, politics and culture are so stark between states that they are like separate nations with a common language. That's why many Americans traditionally don't know much about the world outside of our borders. We ARE a world.

[@armymutt25A]

My first experience with the east coast was about 1999. I had otherwise spent my time in the Midwest and England. My parents were living in Florida and I was moving to northern Delaware for a job after college. I pulled out a Rand McNally map book and started plotting my journey and calculating time. Delaware took up just as much space on the page as Indiana. I didn't really think about it while working out my route. Got quite a surprise when I entered Delaware and was suddenly at my destination like 45 minutes later.

[@FalbertForester]

Yeah, the Rand-McNally Road Atlas and others always show a state per page, or for some states, a two page spread of the state - no matter what the scale turns out to be!

[@markwalker3499]

Wilmington takes up the whole northern tip of the state and that is pretty much metro Philly as it is. I have passed through when using the NJ turnpike going from New York back down to Florida. You go into Delaware and minutes later into Maryland.

[@meghanp6278]

Living in Maryland. I can confirm if you blink you may miss Delaware when driving up the east coast. Glad you got to check out Baltimore.

[@melaniemitchell6872]

But he must visit Annapolis.

[@TheSouthIsHot]

I love British mystery drama. So, yes, I am a BritBox subscriber. Sister Boniface Mysteries is currently my favorite. But the season just ended. Hurry up with Season 3, Sister Boniface!

[@marykatetrausch7684]

You have to make the ‘ay’ sound in Cairo (cay-row) a bit longer. Another cheat code is the exclaves along the Mississippi. Like Illinois’s first capital Kaskaskia that, due to the river changing course, is now only accessible by land from Missouri.

[@jakeaurod]

It sounded like Lawrence said "care-oh".

[@marvindoolin1340]

Mary Kate, glad to see your mention of "Kaskaskia Island." I didn't know of the Kentucky case.

[@marykatetrausch7684]

@@jakeaurod when I lived in Carbondale which is just an hour north of it, everyone said ‘cay-row’.

[@idoc-2]

Laurence, if you are interested in hitting ALL the lower 48 states in ONE road trip, you can Google "shortest driving route through the lower 48 states." It is a zig-zag route through the USA from Maine to Montana, that at least touches all 48 states (and D.C.) It totals 6813 miles (11,000 km) and takes 9.5 days to drive it, if you want to drive 14-15 hours per day! My son and his wife actually did it, (in a FIAT!) but they took two weeks to finish it, because they wanted to actually stop and see some of the sights along the way. They were exhausted after the trip, because they still had to average 485 miles per day, but said it was an amazing experience and were glad they did it!

[@osmadchlo]

Laurence, it makes me smile when you say "our country"!

[@bobair2]

I take away from this video is that America and the U.K. both rock and I would love as a Canadian to visit the U.K. one day! The last place stateside I was ,was Rochester N.Y. back in September 2001 a couple of days before that horrible thing happened which made us all think WWIII was about to happen-glad it didn't.Lawrence you rock and stay safe in these still troubled times.

[@Liamshavingfun]

Don't visit US again 😅

[@jr2904]

There's some wonderful places to visit here in the US, I would avoid most of the big cities though.

[@kitefan1]

The people from Canada took wonderful care of the folks who were grounded on them. Also, I live in New England and went to Denmark and Portugal before the UK. This turned out to be a good thing. It made it much less confusing when I finally went to the English speaking European countries. I only accidentally bought one outrageously priced meal by forgetting I was spending 2£ to 1$ because everything was in English. Denmark is also easier to drive and not get run over in.

[@protorhinocerator142]

@@jr2904 Unfortunately if you're flying, you're probably flying into a big city.

[@TheOminousbeanbag]

@@jr2904 Yeah if you go to a city you might eat ethnic food or see a minority. Scary stuff. Dipshit.

[@danielhoehne801]

In 2016, I was driving from my latest job in Wyoming, back to a previous job, in Florida. Driving east west through states is the killer part. But at one point, went from Missouri, across the Mississippi, into Illinois, took a right curve, and about 30 seconds later, crossed the Ohio river into Kentucky.

[@joshuastrawser9160]

The Kentucky Bend is a fascinating place for geography and cartography buffs. Unfortunately for tourists, it's a rather dull, fairly flat peninsula with a few farms on it. It is far more interesting on a map than it is in real life.

[@pohldriver]

Going from NYC to Maine, you likely also crossed through Rhode Island, unless you went up 84 to the Mass Pike. The most states I've driven through in a single shot was 13. I'm a truck driver. I delivered at a company in Pawtucket, RI before heading home to PA. The road literally is on the Massachusetts state line. Making a left out of the facility meant my tractor was in Massachusetts while the back of my trailer was still on their property in RI. So I was in MA, RI, CT, NY, NJ, PA where I got in my Tahoe that was packed and ready for Disney, DE, MD, VA, NC, SC, GA, and finally FL. 1300 miles in 24 hours.

[@jjohnston326]

FYI, Laurence, the Oklahoma panhandle used to be a part of the Texas panhandle. However, when the country decided that no slaves could be owned north of that latitude, we gave it away to Oklahoma because we didn't want it anymore.

[@mynameishuman4582]

"We?" 🤔

[@starfleet868]

Guessing it's the 'royal we' being used.

[@jjohnston326]

No. It's "we" because I'M A TEXAN you ******!

[@joedellinger9437]

We Texans! Our state not be wee!

[@donttalktomebye]

the northeast is definitely an outlier for the rest of the country. It's actually quite fascinating because if you knew nothing about how america came to be you could definitely track it just on how big or small states are lol. I grew up on long island but moved to florida at age 9. went back s couple years ago and was like "yeah this is only an hour and a half away" and my dad was like "thats basically in NYC" which was so confusing because in florida you'd be lucky to make it an hour and a half to a major city depending on where you are.

[@abbystarheart1]

"I'm from long Island but moved to florida" is just about the most long island sentence one could theoretically muster without talking about breakfast sandwiches or cigarettes

[@riggs20]

With the traffic, you could drive an hour and a half from Orlando and still be in Orlando.

[@abbystarheart1]

@@riggs20 LMAO I have one memory of being in daytona and it's sitting in traffic and looking at the big "daytona" sign over the road for half an hour

[@mariantreber8055]

@@riggs20 Same in Dallas TX. Hours of traffic.

[@funnyusername8635]

I had sort of the opposite--grew up in BC, lived in California for years, and I keep forgetting how much closer everything is in Connecticut. You can leave for an appointment 15 minutes before you're supposed to be there and not 45 minutes to an hour before.

[@Blondie42]

Fun facts: there's two points in the US that are quite unique. In my home state of Washington and over in Minnesota that will have you drive through Canada to reach them. Or you could take a boat 🚤🛶⛵️

[@donjackson5522]

You would think we could work out a trade. There's an island off the coast of Maine that is part of Canada, but is only connected to Maine by a bridge.

[@amazonhippie7826]

I was stuck in Blytheville, AR for a week back in ‘07. I was kayaking down the Mississippi River, and between flooding and losing a crucial piece of my water filter, I decided to get off the river. A guy gave me a ride into Blytheville where I stayed for a week until my sister could come get me.

[@sandracox4341]

And we pronounce it Bly ville or Bly vul. 😂

[@marcusraines4803]

9:16 Wow my hometown of Blytheville AR gets a shout out! And residents usually pronounce our towns name as “Bl-eye-ville” with the TH dropped. The first way you said it was the preferred way.

[@carlosvillanueva8530]

I was born there, and lived there for 18 years, most of the people I knew were pronouncing it "Blahvul" one word.

[@freethebirds3578]

I've driven across the US many times, as a child and as an adult. We've moved cross-country for jobs, visited family, and vacationed. The list of states I haven't visited is far smaller that those I have: everything north of NYC, Alaska, Hawaii, and Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. I've lived and taught in 7 states (and one US Commonwealth), and we like to go places and see things.

[@sandracox4341]

When I lived in Germany a teenager that babysat for me wanted to come and visit us when we moved back to the states. She thought she could come and visit for a week and we could drive from Virginia to New Mexico and back like it was nothing. 😂

[@bigscarysteve]

I've had that experience many times with Europeans visiting America. I always ask them, "Did you bother to look at a map?"

[@ajb.822]

​@@bigscarysteve Well, a globe anyways. I grew up loving to look at the globe at school, and later, as we were homeschooling then, one we got for home. But I often have totally forgotten where things are in relation to others, even in the US. For example, it always would surprise me again how close Las Vegas is to SoCal and Cities in AZ ( not that I've ever been over that way, except visiting family in AZ).

[@bigscarysteve]

@@ajb.822 Globes aren't that plentiful in American homes because they're expensive and because they have to be huge before they have enough detail to be very useful. An atlas is much more useful. When I was an exchange student in Austria, one of the first things my host family did was to break out the globe in order to see where I'm from in America. It didn't have enough detail to be very precise, but that didn't really matter--they were absolutely certain I was from the opposite side of the country from where I'm actually from.

[@bitterbaldguy]

Look, I'm from Hopewell Virginia and I am so glad someone finally validated my belief in Virginia looking like an Imperial Star Destroyer! Thank you!

[@sunnyhill8179]

Something I have never noticed in 8 decades of life!

[@JervisGermane]

The state of Virginia looks like a cartoon leg of ham. Given how great Virginia ham is supposed to be, I think it fits. EDIT: 9:35 Virginia also has one of those, since I'm thinking about it: a tiny little strip on the east side of the Chesapeake south of Maryland.

[@surlyogre1476]

the Del-Mar-Va peninsula, got it.

[@Rickydiculus]

I forget who made the joke but back in the 1800s everyone traveled by foot or hoove. So those "small" eastern states were days apart and the West Coast took so long that you were not the same family that you were when you started your journey in which members would die or be born in the weeks it took to travel the nearly 3000 miles to reach.

[@CCBovell]

I once hiked 6 highest mountains in 6 states in the span of a few days by a circular route from AL to TN, KY, VA, NC, SC,and GA and then back home to Alabama. It was an amazing thing to do and it hits on a little cheat code you brought up here

[@Ceratisa]

Colorado, California and Oregon have the largest mountains after Alaska

[@CCBovell]

@@Ceratisa the highest points for each state. Clingman’s dome in TN, Mt Mitchel in NC, Cheaha in AL.. you get it

[@angieallen4884]

So glad you mentioned Four Corners. As a Utahan, it's my favorite. We took a fam vacay one year that took us through UT, WY, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri! Lots of car time as we picked up my step sons in Wisconsin, then made our way to some LDS Church history sites in Nauvoo, IL, Adam-ondi-Ahman in Missouri, Cody, WY just for fun. Nebraska and Iowa were just on the way. I collect thimbles and got one from each state. I think Europeans in general have no idea how big the US is. A pen pal from Germany was annoyed that I would not meet her in Southern California when she came to visit. I lived in Utah and was 8 months pregnant, so a 12 hour car drive was not in my plans!

[@birdie1331]

i was just talking today about how i'm visiting london this summer (i'm from california) and that i could drive for three hours straight and still be in cali, whereas i could drive that same amount of time in europe and be in like 3 different countries!

[@pyrovania]

Los Angeles to San Francisco is about an 8 hour drive. If you drive from San Diego to Crescent City, that is probably 15 hours, but I've not done that one. San Diego to LA is 2 hours if traffic is excellent, and it is usually not excellent.

[@timothypeterson4781]

Yeah, a person I volunteer with (we'll call her Pat,) used to say Europeans have no concepts of how big the US is. She and her husband were moving up to Oregon from the UK, and a couple friend of theirs were moving to Utah. Their friends were all like "how nice, you can get together on weekends!"

[@sunnyhill8179]

😂😂

[@three2267]

I'm from Texas. If you drive around here, bring a lunch. And map out the Buccee's en route. I primarily watch British streaming content. Y'all are the masters of the Mystery & Crime drama genre!!!

[@oriongurtner7293]

On the whole “drive from Cali to NY in two days”, uhhh, that only works when there’s no traffic or hazards whatsoever on the way there Fun fact: there’s always traffic and hazards on the stretches of highway that connect Cali and NY

[@jabberwock7006]

Would love to see a video about American places and states being compared to their UK counter parts and some cultural differences. Like New Jersey, New York, New Hampshire, etc. I'm from New Jersey and everyone from the state just refers to it as 'Jersey'. I can imagine the confusion from locals in a pub in UK someone when with a wise guy accent walks in and tells them he's from what they know as a small island off the coast of France lol

[@shadowofchaos8932]

My family traveled when I was young. And being the youngest of 7, I went on all the trips. I visited 27 of the 50 states before I turned 15. Montana is very unique.

[@sunnyhill8179]

Montana and Wyoming, awesomely beautiful!

[@shadowofchaos8932]

@@sunnyhill8179 Montana earns the Big Sky title

[@jmcg6189]

This video reminded me of a trip I took on The Great River Road. I didn't take it the whole way - only from Chicago to Vicksburg (it starts in Minnesota and runs to Louisiana). It weaved across the Mississippi taking me from Illinois to Iowa and back again and to Missouri and, I guess, to Tennessee and Mississippi. I also worked in the Natchez Trace and down to Biloxi. I think I took a more direct route back to Chicago. But it was a glorious drive.

[@sunnyhill8179]

The Natchez Trace is really beautiful and the history of that road is fascinating! I once drove it thru Mississippi to Jackson, MS where I had to leave it and go east to GA where I lived. ( I really was tempted to drive the whole route into TN but had to get home).

[@alicerudolph8106]

To help explain the "Kentucky Bend," look up "New Madrid Earthquakes." You'll notice that the Mississippi River get a lot bendier right about there, and it's because of these extremely powerful quakes, in 1811-12.

[@PalKrammer]

Anomaly: Point Roberts. It’s part of Washington state, but does not touch Washington state. You can get to it from Canada or by ferry from the straits.

[@Finn_Anwarunya]

As someone that has ridden greyhound in total for multiple days, he's right. Five hours is plenty to know you never want to again. And he was in the northwest. I can only imagine passenger's are a little less methy and murdery than my Midwest excursions.

[@jenniferbaumgarden9293]

I rode a Greyhound to South Dakota from Missouri as a kid and I have never ridden a bus that long since! LOL

[@Finn_Anwarunya]

@@jenniferbaumgarden9293 it always makes me feel good to hear people that rode greyhound and never had to do it again, lol.

[@Hillbilly001]

Apparently, you haven't ridden the big gray dog in the South. What a ride and not for the good. Cheers from Tennessee

[@Finn_Anwarunya]

@@Hillbilly001 oh I have. When I said Midwest, I meant from top to bottom, right down the middle. Definitely gets worse the further south you go.

[@neutrino78x]

Indeed, I have only ridden a few times, but noticed that there's virtually no security. Apparently one time in 2008, on a Greyhound bus in Canada, some psycho started stabbing a guy with a knife, then CUT OFF HIS HEAD, and ate parts of his body. Of course he was arrested. But you would think they would at least have people go through a metal detector, and surrender any weapons. This is true of HSR too. There have been a few incidents where people got on HSR with firearms. Including that famous incident in France where a guy had a rifle and intended to kill MANY people on the train, but there happened to some US Marines on the train, and they subdued him. But when you think about it, since they're not doing ANYTHING to stop it, there's nothing to stop someone from getting on Greyhound or Amtrak or the TGV etc., with a firearm, opening fire and killing dozens of people. 😲

[@danchristoph2255]

There is a circle around Dubuque IA where you can pass through Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa in a few minutes (using highways). It is also very scenic, especially in Autumn. There is a lock and damn across the Mississippi and there are restaurants where you can see all three states (and lots of foliage). About 3.5 hrs from downtown Chicago and worth an overnight trip.

[@donnavargas1797]

I love how you handled the BritBox sponsor advertisement. I usually move forward and skip the advertisement but I actually enjoyed it this time!

[@MattMcIrvin]

There's famously a protrusion of Iowa in between the airport of Omaha, Nebraska and its downtown (the remnant of a former riverbend that was cut off into an oxbow lake). The route downtown cuts through this area and travelers are often alarmed by the prominent "Welcome to Iowa" sign.

[@guillaumedep1]

I've lived in 8 states and visited all except Michigan. There are worthwhile things to do in every state, so take the time to do some of them.

[@AbstractStew]

Also, as an American ,I frequently forget Delaware exists.

[@veanell]

It's easily forgettable but you have to drive thru it to get to other parts of Maryland when you live in Annapolis like Ocean City

[@crow_feather]

I have a friend who grew up in Delaware. She frequently forgets that it exists, too.

[@justinweatherford8129]

What did Della wear?

[@kingjellybean9795]

As you should...

[@neutrino78x]

what Delaware boys, what did Delaware? I ask you now, as a personal friend, what did Delaware? She wore her New Jersey, boys, she wore her New Jersey. I tell you now, as a personal friend, she wore her New Jersey. 🙂

[@johnhelwig8745]

Laurence, I was hoping that you would of mentioned Handcock Maryland, where it would take about a 30-40 minute walk from the Pennsylvania state line through the two miles of Maryland south to the West Virginia state line. Even where you live it would take just over 2 hours to drive from Michigan through Indiana, Illinois ending in Wisconsin.

[@Liamshavingfun]

And the part on interstate 81 where you can drive from PA, MD, WV, AND VA in about 40 minutes

[@diwi1942]

​@Liam's Having Fun I drive that when I drive from NC to PA. 9 hrs. I love it when I get to that area.

[@hoosierpioneer]

No way Indiana to Wisconsin in 2 hours, even if u go thru Chicagoland at 2am.

[@johnhelwig8745]

@@hoosierpioneer Yes, I know traffic in and around Chicago is a pain. Based on Google maps, it is 2 hrs 15 from New Buffalo to Kenosha which seems reasonable since I have neighbors in south-west Michigan that drive to the west suburbs of Chicago in 2 and a half hours .

[@Purdey921]

I think the UP may be involved.

[@flubber1557]

Glad you came to realise this. While it can still be a long and tiring ride for like 8 hours from like VA to NY by car it is isnt as bad as trying to do an entire cross country. It also gives a bit more meaning to having the interstate highways. Going around the original 13 colonies is a lot easier than going around all the ones added afterwards. Sometimes having the long drive can be great though if time isnt a factor. It can be great to take in the scenery and try different foods or activities across the country. Most state highways have rest areas and they usually contain some rest stops with the local history laid out for tourists. Its always good to learn more about your neighboring states. Yeah our country is huge but it is at its best when our hearts are all united as one.

[@lenachoi2148]

I think my favourite thing about living in the States is how many different landscapes there are in the country. My husband and I took a trip from Oregon to Minnesota once, and so went through Washington, Idaho, Montana (one of the most BREATH TAKING states I've been to) North Dakota, and then hitting Minnesota. The difference in the amount of hills/mountains was incredible

[@Bespelled22]

As a boy My bedroom walls were covered in maps. I also spent hours studying atlases. We were living in Oklahoma at the time but my parents had relatives in Georgia, Tennessee, and West Virginia. Every summer we would take a road trip to visit them. We also took the scenic route and visited every state we could. Then later when I was stationed at Ft Bragg NC I continued the tradition. I have visited every state east of Oklahoma plus Kansas, Texas, New Mexico, an Colorado but I never got any further west. It’s one of my biggest regrets.

[@lauriejones4507]

I too was obsessed with maps as a kid (now). I love this format! Great way to level up 🧡

[@Purdey921]

I was the navigator on road trips when I was a kid. I still prefer maps. GPS doesn’t give a very broad view and I might miss a nice side trip.

[@queenb67]

1. I am from Texas. Growing up, you learn to measure distance in time, not miles. Once you've been here, you understand why. 2. We took that route from Blythville to Illinois a few years ago. I got to educate my husband on the whole historic earthquake thing in that area. He'd never heard of it! 3. I've done the Idaho thing, as well, coming from Montana into Washington . I've often wondered if that really counted as visiting the state as I basically just passed through it.

[@jr2904]

Yeah, same here in California in point 1. The closer you are to a big city here, the longer everything takes lol. My little city takes 20-30 minutes to drive through, go to LA and 5 miles could take an hour or two depending on the time of day. I've only been to Texas once, when I was a kid in the 90s, would like to make it out there for the solar eclipse coming up next year

[@jaewok5G]

item one resonates in New England as well, and I'm starting to suspect why the metric system is unnecessary …

[@markadams7046]

I know, I can say I've been in Georgia on more than one occasion, but only because when I was 5 or 6 years old, I had change planes with one of my parents at the airport in Atlanta. I really only have a super vague memory of that airport.

[@jennacided6502]

Ooo, I didn't even know about the earthquake and I'm an environmental science nerd! Thanks for the rabbit hole recommendation :D

[@markadams7046]

@@jennacided6502 Yep, an earthquake, possibly the largest in known U.S. history, occurred in the area of the central Mississippi River where big earthquakes don't typically happen. The quake actually caused the rerouting of the river and thus isolated part of Kentucky from the rest of the state.

[@jameshill2450]

British people arrived on the east coast back in the 1500s and started making what seemed to them at the time to be reasonably-sized states along natural borders. That's why most of New England would fit in England. Then as they started moving farther in, they saw how much more land there was and realized it would be an absolute nightmare to keep going at that rate, so they started just drawing large squares on the map.

[@daultonhuskey2804]

I was stationed in Blytheville in the early 80's we used a lot of those roads you mentioned when we were out fishing on the weekends... and you said it right the 1st time :) Thanks Bud!

[@jasonsummit1885]

I do have to say that Britain has one of my favorite comedians, John Cleese. I love watching reruns of Fawlty Towers.😂

[@joannemckinley2487]

"Ooh, Laurence!" I never get tired of hearing you say that. I greatly enjoy your humor, and the modulation of your voice. I have travelled to 34 out of the 50 states, so far. I live in California, one of those larger states west of the Mississippi River. I agree that travelling across Texas feels as if it takes forever. I have driven on Interstate 10 from California to Florida with my children, for a total of eight states. It took me five days for the entire drive, and I think two of those days were just to drive across Texas.

[@sunnyhill8179]

Yes, similar experience coming from Colorado thru TX to Louisiana. But, we always took it for granted that it would be a long trip, I guess because we were used to many-state road trips and we followed maps.

[@kateburk2168]

When I was a kid, Geography was the fav subject in school. (These days, it's rarely taught it seems.) I was born in a border town in Indiana & when about 6 wks old returned with parents to Michigan. At age 16/17 we drove to California and thus, racked up a few states along the way. At 19, I rode with a friend from CA to FL where I remained except for 4 road trips. Haven't been north of the D.C. nor east. Haven't been to the northwest either. With the cost of fuel, wondering if I ever will. hmm! But, Mexico, Canada and the Bahamas are. Travel really does broaden the mind.😊

[@editingsecrets]

I've also had a lifelong love and fascination for geography. Parents taught me that maps are cool! It's great to see so much geography on KZbin now.

[@sunnyhill8179]

@@editingsecrets My father believed that travel was as educational as sitting at a desk in the classroom. He took advantage of vacations each year to take us kids places for us to learn about our country.

[@jeffdege4786]

My fastest trip through a state as a kid was I-70 through West Virginia. Unless you count the time we were driving through Chattanooga on the way to Florida, and my sister piped up with "hey, have we ever visited Alabama?" But that was an in-and-out, turning around at the first ramp.

[@HBC423]

Yeah downtown Chattanooga is like 15 minutes from Alabama

[@bigscarysteve]

I think the skinniest part of any state is probably Maryland, near the town of Hancock. Maryland it only about a mile wide there--but I don't think there's a road that crosses it at that point from Pennsylvania to West Virginia. That would be a really quick trip through a state!

[@sonotswifty]

I'm guessing you guys did the 10 minute drop into Georgia before going back up north on I-24 going into Chattanooga?

[@jeffdege4786]

@@sonotswifty We were taking I-24 from Nashville to Atlanta, and turned off to drive across the Alabama line and back.

[@jeg1353]

@@bigscarysteve Actually that part of Maryland is about 2 miles wide and US 522 takes you from PA through MD and into WV in 3 minutes.

[@craigstege6376]

Yeah North America is a bit weird in its scale. The Canadian provinces of Ontario, Quebec, and the US state of Texas are each on their own larger denominations than most European countries. All three take more than a day to drive through. And then there's places like Delaware or Prince Edward Island that are unbelievably small areas in terms of when you get there you have a little trouble wrapping your head around the idea that this tiny place isn't incorporated into some other larger political denomination - and there's usually a lot of interesting history to answer that line of questioning.

[@Clarekej]

I have a friend who set up a map room in his first house - a room devoted entirely to maps.

[@rev.rachel]

I’ve lived in this country all my life and never known that Kentucky was not connected to Kentucky. What.

[@MattMcIrvin]

As a resident of a border town on the edge of Massachusetts, near the New Hampshire line, crossing state boundaries is an everyday experience for me. My typical work commute involves driving into NH to catch a bus to Boston, so over the course of a day it involves crossing the state line four times. And Maine, Rhode Island and Connecticut (and arguably Vermont) are no more than a day trip away.

[@alaunaenpunto3690]

As a native Texan, I can confirm that it takes forever to get anywhere.

[@wafflecone_wombatdrone]

always at least an hour drive lol

[@Lucius1958]

Reminds me of an old joke: A Texas rancher was talking with a farmer from Maine. The Texan boasted, "I can get in my truck at one end of my land at sunup, drive across, and not reach the other end until near sundown." The Mainer nodded sympathetically. "Ayup," he replied. "I used to have a truck like that once." ;-)

[@Mick_Ts_Chick]

​@@wafflecone_wombatdrone And that's just getting on the freeway in Dallas. 😂

[@ohiojimmy]

A fun multi-state adventure is Cincinnati, Ohio. The beltway(I-275) around the city goes through 3 states (Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana). And the Cincinnati Airport(cvg) is located in Kentucky, across the Ohio River.

[@Otto_Von_Beansmarck]

Also bonus tip there are a few states that you really don't need to visit such as North Dakota (trust me the only 2 land marks in the entire state are a big statue of a cow and a legitimately cool looking stave church and then there is Høstfest which can be a quite a blast and then seeing the unnervingly large bison and the surprisingly beautiful site of the light of a clear full moon reflecting across a snowy field illuminating the area so well you could read a book outside at 2am) hmm wait a minute I guess there is fair bit to do there I just realized this while making this list...

[@krisreddish3066]

I have lived in AK and current live in TX. Each one is the size of a nation. In the 90s I flew from Anchorage to the Fairbanks area or FT Wainwright specifically. It took 4 hours. I could drive west from my central TX location and spend all day breaking speed limits to make the border of TX. When I lived on the East Coast, I could walk in about an hour to walk out of Maryland to Delaware.

[@LudiCrust.]

Fun fact: the reason Michigan is larger than states like Utah Idaho & Minnesota is bc a lot of Michigan’s size is in the Great Lakes & not land. Edit: almost 40,000 Sq miles of Michigan’s size is beyond the shorelines & into the Great Lakes.

[@Nyx773]

If no one has responded to your comment, there is zero need to write "edit"

[@ajb.822]

Hmm. Didn't know they counted that ( I'm in western WI btw 👋). I think a lot of folks m/l forget about the UP also.

[@VickiCampbell-1216]

That was interesting. I wasn't aware of those shorter state routes and I'm an American. Random: My former grandmother's-in-law were neighbors. Their names were Thelma and Louise. True story. 😁

[@ajb.822]

My maternal grandma's name was Thelma Louise :) ! She had always hated the name Thelma though, and preferred to be called Louise, as an adult she had her name officially changed to just Louise (maybe using her maiden name as her new, official middle name, or went without - I forget).

[@VickiCampbell-1216]

@@ajb.822 Great story!! 😃My middle name is Louise. I think it's a nice first name and I understand why your grandma would choose it for her first name. 💖

[@sunnyhill8179]

Wow! 😀

[@andrewt3768]

As someone who grew up in the central US, it was actually the other way around for me. When I finally got to visit the east coast, I was floored by how close together everything is. I'm used to taking hours and hours to get from one state to another.

[@sunnyhill8179]

I'm from the deep south and I concur! 😊

[@freeroamer6962]

I might blow his mind if I tell him about a trip I took where I left Michigan, drove one way for 12 hrs, through 4 other states, and ended up in...Michigan.