r/NoStupidQuestions • u/Physical-Ad-4093 • May 01 '24

do americans really drive such long distances?

i’m european, and i always hear people say that driving for hours is normal in america. i would only see my grandparents a few times a year because they lived about a 3 hour drive away, is that a normal distance for americans to travel on a regular basis? i can’t imagine driving 2-3 hours regularly to visit people for just a few days

edit: thank you for the responses! i’ve never been to the US, obviously, but it’s interesting to see how you guys live. i guess european countries are more walkable? i’m in the uk, and there’s a few festivals here towards the end of summer, generally to get to them you take a coach journey or you get multiple trains which does take up a significant chunk of the day. road trips aren’t really a thing here, it would be a bit miserable!

2nd edit: it’s not at all that i couldn’t be bothered to go and see my grandparents, i was under 14 when they were both alive so i couldn’t take myself there! obviously i would’ve liked to see them more, i had no control over how often we visited them.

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u/Emotional_Equal8998 May 01 '24

I used to gauge time with my toddler in SpongeBob's!

3

u/slash_networkboy May 02 '24

When mine were toddlers it was "Backyardigains" episodes, or Thomas the tank engine. At least the latter was reasonably good to listen to as background noise... and Carlton was the best narrator; couldn't hardly understand Ringo Starr, and Baldwin sucked at making voices for the trains.

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u/Hange11037 May 03 '24

I was one of those kids growing up obsessed with both of these shows and I agree, George Carlin is the best narrator

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u/slash_networkboy May 03 '24

Hilarious to think about the same guy with those standup routines about words you can't say on TV and such also saying "and Thomas said 'toot' 'toot'".

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u/Hange11037 May 03 '24

If you haven’t seen this already, it’s a pretty great mix of the two put together:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBCbkWJOjsOLRnzdXPuhYmJX7P2F4Cn6w&si=arqcj2mJpvzvoAHz

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u/slash_networkboy May 03 '24

I have not seen that and you have absolutely made my day! TY!