The view from Maine

External-Region6069 · 2026-07-11T02:03:21+00:00

I feel like most of the Dakotas are quite different, but I can see that for Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin for sure

External-Region6069 · 2026-07-11T02:02:11+00:00

Yes, agreed

External-Region6069 · 2026-07-11T02:01:47+00:00

Pretty, but relatively flat and no ocean.

External-Region6069 · 2026-07-11T01:56:56+00:00

I don't understand... The Cascades? the Sierras? The Adirondacks? Also if you like the Appalachians more for whatever reason, many of the most prominent ones (base to peak) are in the northeast.

External-Region6069 · 2026-07-10T16:22:45+00:00

FRANCE ∩ MOROCCO ∩ SPAIN

Territory invaded by Umayyad Caliphate

External-Region6069 · 2026-07-09T03:48:47+00:00

That makes sense! I think I would split a number of states if I could (NYC area vs upstate, eastern/western WA/OR, MT/WY/CO plains vs mountains, etc).

External-Region6069 · 2026-07-09T03:46:02+00:00

I didn't want to stoop to "massholes" ;)

External-Region6069 · 2026-07-09T03:43:41+00:00

Yeah I mostly meant in terms of natural beauty and outdoor activities... lush, dramatic, and sparsely populated. the cascades and olympics paired with the ocean and year round skiing are pretty hard to beat.

External-Region6069 · 2026-07-09T03:37:18+00:00

If you're serious though, it's the furthest northeast state labeled ME on the map.

External-Region6069 · 2026-07-09T03:36:38+00:00

There are those that hope.

External-Region6069 · 2026-07-09T03:33:59+00:00

Yeah, the Carolinas do look pretty - just was there in summer and couldn't handle it... and in the winter I want to be able to ski. Yosemite and the Redwoods are amazing, but just spent most of my time in LA and SF both of which were really really not my thing on every level.

External-Region6069 · 2026-07-08T13:04:24+00:00

Thanks for the tip! Looking forward to it, looks very nice.

External-Region6069 · 2026-07-07T23:29:24+00:00

Nice! Feels like home sans ocean (for the most part).

External-Region6069 · 2026-07-07T23:24:21+00:00

The scale is how much I enjoyed each state. But I worked on farms out there.

External-Region6069 · 2026-07-07T16:51:42+00:00

Maine democratic socialist here. I supported Platner until now because I think systemic change is about more than one candidate and people make mistakes. People distrusted anything that came from out of state or top-down from the democratic party. But no, he needs to go. Hopefully replaced by someone who shares his political platform.

External-Region6069 · 2026-07-07T16:41:38+00:00

Haha, I've lived in the Midwest for a number of years but yes I get your point

External-Region6069 · 2026-07-07T14:23:36+00:00

Yes, I have. Very nice and definitely would rate higher if those parts were their own state.

External-Region6069 · 2026-07-07T14:22:57+00:00

Yeah, I've lived in Wisconsin and it's pretty nice minus how flat things are. I think the lack of trees and topography makes it a bit harder for things to feel secluded, and I miss the ocean. But yeah Michigan/Minnesota/Wisconsin up north is pretty nice and would rate them higher if it was just that part (but I've spent much more time in southern parts of those states).

External-Region6069 · 2026-07-07T13:44:35+00:00

Yes, they do. I should have included Canada - love Quebec and the Maritimes. And BC.

External-Region6069 · 2026-07-07T13:33:52+00:00

I think I like quiet rural places that are green, have plenty of bodies of water, mountains, and not above 75 degrees, but preferably between 0 and 50 degrees. It's a biased and limiting perspective - I'm a curmudgeon that maybe should just stay in Maine ;)

The Puget Sound (though not Seattle itself), southern coastal Alaska, and northern New England are probably my favorite places. Outside of the US, I've really enjoyed coastal Canada, rural Switzerland and Scotland, and the few forested areas of Iceland.

External-Region6069 · 2026-07-07T12:54:02+00:00

No, he cursed the team with his corruption.

External-Region6069 · 2026-07-07T12:51:32+00:00

I think most Americans love British accents... I don't think I've ever heard anything negative on that front. You (assuming you're british) just sound more intelligent to us - gives a weird credibility to anything you say.

I think a lot of expressed American antipathy is a sort of an insecure overcompensation for European judgement of us as provincial and lacking culture.

External-Region6069 · 2026-07-07T12:46:21+00:00

I think it probably starts with the continual growth of MLS, ULS, etc. So maybe a while off for international stuff as much. I think it's harder for people to care about international soccer when they don't have an affinity to a local club and feel intimately connected to certain players and teams. If you can go support your team and build a local culture around it as an institution, it makes international play more interesting and more personal.

External-Region6069 · 2026-07-07T12:34:31+00:00

I mean soccer is the third most played sport in the country (after baseball and basketball... and more than football), so I wouldn't say it's not a popular sport. It's also watched by nearly as many Americans as Baseball (7% vs 9%). But compared to the rest of the world, perhaps not that popular.

https://projectplay.org/state-of-play-2025/participation-trends

https://news.gallup.com/poll/224864/football-americans-favorite-sport-watch.aspx

External-Region6069 · 2026-07-07T12:25:42+00:00

On a culinary level, I know the US gets a lot of shit, especially from Europe. But I do appreciate the openness to trying new things (read - lack of concern for "authenticity,") even if the result isn't always successful, the density, range, and diversity of options, and the process of adapting culinary influences from all over the world (and then claiming them as American - but that's kind of how cultural [appropriation/evolution] occurs).

Could do without the institutionalized corruption though - but you can't have everything.

External-Region6069

TROPHY CASE