Would you visit USA in the current climate?

I've really enjoyed the US for driving holidays in the past, but it always puzzled me why considering the vast distances they never invested in high speed passenger rail. They have a lot of freight rail so it's not like the bones of a network aren't there, but the investment in rail in China certainly make it a better choice for a non driving holiday.

Probably because fuel has always been relatively cheap in the US.

There was a great passenger rail system in the US but once the car came along people voted with their feet and started driving rather than taking the train.

Think of all them poor sonsofbidges having to walk in the hot Houston summer days from the parking lot to their workplace. So much for quality of life. That’s a marathon level exertion for a lot of them.

Then, an hour long car jaunt while listening to the Bible thumping radio hosts closes the tidy lifestyle circle.

That’s why so many end up riding in electric carts sucking on two liter smoothies for the last decade or more of their lives. A great civilization.

Depends. Houston isnt the best example. Its probably the biggest proper city by area in the US. Its absolutely massive.

Anyway, see Aer Lingus are flying to Raleigh now. Beautiful part of the country that east coast and inland.

Jim you disappointed me.

When you quoted me I thought you were quoting this post to clarify what you are on about 50% of people being detained at immigration and everyone that goes to America being detained, but alas no.

What are these numbers about?

If you are saying one has a 50/50 chance of being detained at immigration then that implies half the people at immigration are detained.

And if you are there 100% chance of being detained?

Where is there?

The US ?

Are you saying that everyone who goes to the US is detained by immigration?

I doubt you are saying any of that.

But please, make yourself clearer

As for the car thing, yes there were and are lobby groups.

But people still decided they liked big, cheap cars where the fuel wasn't expensive and they were easy to drive (automatic),

They weren't duped or fooled into buying cars.

They also liked the idea of a nice house with a driveway and a lawn.

We are not much different ourselves, look at the sprawl in Dublin over the past few decades and look at the increase in car ownership.

People like the three bed semi and the independence of their own vehicles.

@VinLieger

Isn't the loop more local transit scheme than long distance interstate like the LA - las Vegas highspeed that's under way at the moment?

I agree though, successive lobbying attacks by car companies have killed off most of their public transport, outside of the denser cities like NY, Boston, San Francisco.

If we'd been a wealthy country in the post WWII years I've no doubt doubt that a lot of Dublin would have been gutted for car parking space.

We think of good cycling infrastructure when Amsterdam is mentioned, but they let cars spread out of control too.

The Damrak main street, Amsterdam.

Aside from NY, Boston, and a few other cities the US is very much a car orientated destination. Great for scenic driving holidays, but as I get older driving holidays are less appealing.

On the other hand a lot of city destinations in Europe have mixed options for getting around without a car, and aside from the background noise in the US at the moment I find Europe far more attractive for non car adventures.

Incidental to holidays in the US, we have a relative who moved back to Ireland and one of the reasons cited was simply once you lose your ability to drive you become a shut in, unless you've got someone to drive for you. Now back in Ireland and recently given up driving they've got a local shop and church all within a 15 min walk. That freedom simply wasn't possible everywhere they lived in the US.

Interesting development.

In a historic reversal, the number of Americans moving to Ireland last year was higher than the number of Irish people migrating to the US. Was this just a blip or the start of a more profound trend?

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20260414-why-more-americans-are-now-moving-to-ireland

This, also coincides interestingly with the fact that Israelis are fleeing the "Holey (sic) Land" in higher numbers this past year than the incoming population did…