27 US Experiences That Horrified Canadian Tourists

Buzz Feed

17 hours ago

I have never felt more patriotic than I do at this moment in my life, and I know many Canadians can attest to the same sentiment. I'm yelling, "Elbows Up!" and putting maple syrup on everything. And although I'm an NYC girl in another life, I'm really lucky to be Canadian — especially after hearing some stories about visiting the States.
So when Reddit user IPA-Breakfast asked, "What's the sketchiest scenario you've had while in the US?" I had to share some of the wild stories with you all.
"I was visiting my partner in Missouri in 2021 and got sick. We had a ticket back to Canada in a week, so I went to one of the COVID testing clinics nearby and got tested. We hadn't even left the parking lot when they called and said I was all clear. So I went about it as if it wasn't COVID-19 and just a cold. I kept getting sicker, though. Then, at the airport, I got told I couldn't get on the plane because I had COVID. I had to stay in the US an additional 30 days and rebook all my flights. Later, on the news, we saw that the same clinic I had visited was being shut down, and the owner had been arrested for fraud. The clinic was talking money for the COVID testing program, but not actually testing anyone. They just called everyone and said their test was negative."
"I was on vacation in North Carolina, a year into COVID. I walked into a store that had some cool-looking trinkets in the window. I was wearing an N95 mask, as was recommended in Canada. I wasn't a meter inside the door when the owner pulled out a Dirty Harry hand cannon and told me only thieves and liberals wear masks. Gave me to the count of five to leave. I was out in two."
"I was in Myrtle Beach the week of July 4th a few years back. There were signs everywhere that fireworks were not allowed on the beach. There were also cops in golf carts everywhere. On the night of the 4th, my kids and I were on the beach by the Ferris wheel, enjoying the city fireworks display. You can see fireworks from other towns along the coast. It's magical until everyone around us starts setting off their own fireworks."
"I got robbed when I was living in SF. Somebody just smashed me in the back of the head, woke up without a bag, in the hospital."
"I was in Vegas in 2015 and saw a car hit a massive group of crossing pedestrians."
"We went to a US vs Can hockey game in Buffalo. It wasn't even a real game, it was an exhibition match. My partner wore a Leafs jersey, so we were clearly Canadian. This was a mistake. After the American team won, the Americans in front of us stood up and literally screamed at us that we're losers and to go the fuck home, giving us the finger and laughing at us. Then, when we were leaving, people in the crowd were shoving and yelling at each other. By the time we made it outside there were multiple fist fights happening, cops drawing guns and all sorts of wild ass shit. We left as fast as we could."
"So this happened to my friend in university. He and his dad went to a sports game in early 2008. After the game, they started driving home and got lost somewhere near the stadium. They got to a red light, and someone started shooting at their car. The bullets broke the rear window and windscreen. His dad just FLOORS it, peels out of there, slamming the manual transmission into gear like a rally driver taking off from the starting line, and doesn't stop for a single red for at least a mile."
"A murder happened in our hotel lobby. And someone broke into our hotel room while my father was still in the bathroom."
"We were parked for the night in a scenic Oregon campground with our trailer. We just finished supper after a great walk on the beach with our dogs. Suddenly, there was this HUGE explosion that rocked our trailer, the dogs were terrified, and we kind of froze in shock. We went outside to find our idiot neighbors had casually tossed one of those plastic propane canisters INTO THEIR FUCKING CAMPFIRE to get rid of it."
"I got mugged in broad daylight right out front of our hotel in New Orleans. It was not a great vacation."
"My childhood friend's mom was on the interstate, and some people in a car next to her started yelling and pointing that her car was on fire. She pulled over. They pulled over. Then they carjacked her."
"Our U-Haul broke down on the highway, right next to a sign telling people who've broken down to call the police for assistance. The police arrived, and we slowly walked towards them and said, "Thank you for coming so fast," and they drew their weapons."
"I witnessed a drive-by shooting once in downtown Houston."
"I went shopping in North Dakota with a friend years ago. For some reason, the normal border crossing we used closed super early when we were trying to get home. I took a wrong turn trying to get to the next border crossing before they closed and wound up in some tiny, sketchy little town. Every building on the main street looked abandoned, except for the bar. People suddenly started slowly walking out of the bar towards my car. The look on their faces was not friendly, and it felt like the start of a horror movie, so I got out of there ASAP. My friend and I still talk about how creepy the whole thing was."
When I first arrived in the US for grad school, one of the local students took me aside and said 'You're not white; if you get pulled over by the cops for anything, you keep your hands on the steering wheel and ask for permission before you do anything, including rolling down the window.'
"I was getting a haircut in Estes Park, Colorado, in 2014. The barber said to me, "For all I know, you could be a Muslim." I told him that I am. He told me that Muslims wanted to kill all non-Muslims, and that I must have been raised with that ideology. He said no one could take over the US, since there were more guns there than people. And he asked me to guess what had happened to people who had previously tried to take over his town. "They're dead," he said. "And they say their bodies have never been found." Then he got a phone call. I undid my towel, left him my payment on the counter and walked out. Fortunately, the haircut had mostly been completed."
"Years ago, I worked for a Canadian subsidiary of a large American engineering company. While visiting the mother ship in Kansas, I was taken aback by having to go through a metal detector, similar to those at the airport. Turns out, years before, an employee came to work and shot his supervisor three times. That supervisor still works there!"
"Having my ID requested to purchase a Call of Duty game when I was in my 30s. The guy in front of me purchased a firearm with no ID."
"We went to a Tex-Mex family restaurant for lunch in Houston. Next door was a motel, where a bunch of cop cars with lights on were parked. It reminded me of the scene in No Country for Old Men. Halfway through my huevos rancheros, shots rang out, and we saw the cops had kicked in the door of the room they were surrounding. Seconds later, they pulled the guy's body out. This was crazy enough, but what blew my mind was that nobody in the restaurant freaked out or even reacted much at all, even the tables with kids! My buddy said it's not unusual to hear gunshots, and that you just get used to it after a while. I doubt I ever would."
"2016 at JFK on my way to a conference. While waiting for colleagues arriving on a different flight, a fellow asked me where I was going, and on realizing I wasn't American, he proceeded to tell me about several topics:"
"Walked into a Cracker Barrel with my half-Japanese wife, and the entire restaurant went quiet and stared. This was in 2015."
"We were driving from Orlando to Atlanta, and we desperately needed gas and a pee break. We pulled over at a gas station…to find the store attached to the station was covered in Confederate flags. Covered. Like wallpapered with it. I looked at my best friend and told her I'd rather piss my pants than step inside that place."
"Friends of mine camped in their van in LA overnight one time. They picked a spot that looked decent and not too sketchy. They were woken up in the night by the sound of gunfire and eventual sirens. Directly across the street from them, like 20 feet away, there was a gang conflict during the night, and a guy was murdered. They found a bullet hole in the side of their van in the morning."
"In 1981, my parents and I took a day trip across the border to Seattle. I was 11 years old and had saved my own money to purchase souvenirs. I tried to pay with a couple of $2 bills (obviously, this was before the Toonie), and the cashier freaked out. She started going on about how disrespectful it was to pay with a $2 bill in the US. She claimed that since they had gotten rid of the American $2 bill, they were considered bad luck. Apparently, I was putting a curse on her by paying with Canadian money."
"One time, I was at my partner's house and we heard fireworks. An hour later, we heard a helicopter. We looked outside and saw 10 cop cars. Someone had been shooting and then was trying to escape the cops by running through all the backyards."
"First time in LA. from Vancouver, we pulled into a Taco Bell for a piss and a taco. While standing in the parking lot for all of two minutes, we were approached by a small gang. When we asked, "Hey, what's up?" the main guy answered, "We're here to beat the fuck out of somebody." We got back in our car and have never returned to LA."
And lastly: "My favourite part of visiting the USA is when we leave. It feels as good as walking out of Thanksgiving dinner because your whole family is full of unhinged, violent racists."
In the comments, tell me the craziest thing that you've witnessed while visiting the US. I need icebreakers for my next party.
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