Non-Americans Are Sharing The Things They Actually Admire About America, And I Just Wiped A Single Tear From My Eye
1."The Smithsonian Museums. Very cool and very fun to walk around and see. And they're free."
Win McNamee / Getty Images, Kirkikis / Getty Images
—u/GullibleIdiots
"The Smithsonians are a treasure. I remember being astonished when I moved to another city and realized most museums require you to pay to go inside."
—u/optsynsejo
2."National Parks."
Francesco Riccardo Iacomino / Getty Images, Brian Evans / Getty Images/iStockphoto
—u/Premier_Poutine
"This.
I've traveled the world pretty extensively; the National Park system is the most amazing undertaking I've ever seen.
America has innumerable flaws, but preserving the most amazing places in the world was something the country got unquestionably right."
—u/nutella-is-for-jerks
Related:
3."Your wildlife. Lots of beasties on that continent."
—u/TheLairdStewart98
4."If you guys want, you can go to pretty much any climate without a passport. You have tropical, desert, oceanside, lakeside, and mountain climates."
Rebecca Harding / Getty Images, Alexandra Simone / Getty Images/Cavan Images RF
—u/deleted
5."Drinking fountains everywhere. Nearly all public toilets are free."
—u/bounded_operator
6."The amount of nature. Mountains, forests, valleys, deserts, waterfalls, etc. Where I live, we've got a few hills and there's no place anywhere in the country that is completely untouched or so far from civilization that you can't hear traffic."
—u/BombBombBombBombBomb
7."Verbal communication skills. When people are interviewed on TV, they can really explain in detail what happened, and it is easily understood. It's like everyone has a communication major."
"In Australia, we generally are really bad at this. For example, interviewing eye witnesses to a shark attack in Australia: 'Yeah, nah it was pretty bad!'"
—u/Alpacamum
8."The scale and grandeur. I'm used to nature being small, but everything in America is bigger: bigger storms, bigger mountains, bigger horizons. Even the sky seems...more. People in America are casually dealing with everything from alligators to bears, pitching tents on the sides of cliffs, and walking their dogs through literal wilderness; I genuinely feel like a hobbit watching Aragorn saunter through Middle Earth like it's nothing while I've never been beyond the end of Farmer Maggot's farm before. I love it."
Jeff Manes / Getty Images/iStockphoto, New Line Cinema / Via youtube.com
—u/coffee_up
"Funny you should mention the sky, I live on the Colorado Front Range, which is about 1,610 meters above sea level. On an unpolluted day, you can see every friggin detail of the cumulus clouds in bright white. It looks like a hyper-realistic painting."
—u/Leucipuus1
Related:
9."It's so big. Like, to be real, if you wanna do a road trip that's like two weeks. Maybe more."
—u/no_sarcasim
"A friend of mine had some guests from the UK. They wanted to drive to Disneyland for the day. From Maryland.
That is 4,400 km (2,734 miles) each way."
—u/substantial-freud
10."Cornbread."
Fox / Via giphy.com
—u/Jdawgred
11."The arts. Jazz, rhythm and blues, and the early rock and roll that inspired the British Invasion. The authors. The films."
Paramount Pictures / Via youtube.com, Bettmann / Bettmann Archive
—u/LoudTsu
12."King's Hawaiian sweet rolls."
—u/rhonda1973
"I use those to make my compound-butter garlic bread after years of using baguettes. GAME CHANGER."
—u/dramboxf
Related:
13."NASA is America's best PR. Sure, they could really use triple the budget to seriously get things done, but what they do is admired globally."
—u/alltherobots
14."Southern cuisine, from BBQ all the way to Creole type stuff...you guys know how to eat down there."
—u/I_hate_traveling
15."Films and TV shows."
Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images, Universal History Archive / Universal Images Group via Getty Images
—u/LaptopGeek92
16."I always hear complaints about the portion sizes, which is fair, they're big. But we gotta give America credit for how socially acceptable it is to take the leftover food home. As a frugal Dutch person, this mesmerizes me, and I'm very sad this is not as acceptable here."
—u/MarieLoew
17."How madly diverse it is. Admittedly, I've only seen it on TV, but the fact that the Bronx and Texas are in the same country is mind-boggling."
—u/cdbman
18."I love how spread the infrastructure is across the country. Literally, massive multinational companies are headquartered in so many smaller cities. Manufacturing can occur in even more towns. Here in Australia, our population is so concentrated in our three biggest cities, it's difficult for big businesses to survive elsewhere, so they move to the big cities and perpetuate the problem. Half our population is in those three cities."
—u/stupidperson810
19."I'm from Portugal and living in the US right now. One thing that really impressed me when I got here was how green the US is, and how many trees they have."
—u/jpereira73
Related:
20."How the national identity is so culturally mixed. It seems like if you move to France, you don't become French; you just become a foreigner. But everyone who lives in America at all is American."
—u/ITheReader
21."Fruity pebbles."
—u/Z00TH0RNZ
22."I like how open-minded the people are and how much they seem to enjoy varied interests. I've found in my country, we tend to be pretty judgmental of anything we aren't used to seeing, and most people have basically the same hobbies."
—u/purple-nomad
23."Americans always know how to get a conversation going! 'Hey, where are you from?' and then they are genuinely interested in hearing the answer, even if perhaps they've never heard of that place. They are great at small talk, and friendly (doesn't matter if it's 'fake' sometimes, e.g., the server in a restaurant, it is still a skill to be that friendly and welcoming, in my opinion). They make people feel like a million bucks."
—u/BaileysBaileys
"I waited tables for 20 years, and I loved talking to people visiting from other countries. Chances are I'm never going to be able to visit where you're from, and I was genuinely interested in what your lives are like there. I also wanted to make sure you were enjoying your time in our country and recommending amazing must-see places in our area. We genuinely want you to enjoy yourselves."
—u/dorkmagnet123
24."Some of the best roller coasters on Earth."
—u/Dr_Skeleton
25.And finally: "New York City. Hot Dogs. Your friendliness. Hollywood. Yellowstone. Baseball. Ford GT. Road trips. Coca-Cola. NASA. Southern BBQ. Burgers. Yosemite. Your infectious love of the outrageous. Jaws. Your love of English accents ;). Harrison Ford. Rock and fuckin' roll. Nike. Magic Mountain. Pamela Anderson. Red Vines. The video game and animation industries. Dr Pepper. Maine lobster rolls. Skateboarding. Ralph Lauren. The Sopranos. Jack FM. Baskin-Robbins. Car park cookouts. Wakeboarding. Ruby's Diner. Long Island (Iced Tea). Eddie Murphy. Technological innovation. Soul. Southern California. Star Wars. Ford Broncos. Key lime pie."
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images, PhotoQuest / Getty Images, Anthony Neste / Getty Images
—u/liam_crean
It's kinda nice hearing all these positives, IMO. What do you think? Tell me about it in the comments!
Note: some comments have been edited for length and/or clarity.
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Unlike some of its rivals, its bottom back edge doesn't dig into my lower back, which means I can carry it for hours without issue. Honestly, I can't think of a reason why you shouldn't get the Travel Cat Navigator cat backpack for your kitty, except perhaps if you're seeking one with an extension, in which case you should check out my budget pick below. Otherwise, this is the best cat backpack out there. Yes, it's over $100, but considering it feels robust enough to last a while, you're better off getting this one rather than a cheaper one you'll just have to replace later. I was unprepared for how much I'd end up liking the Pecute Cat Carrier Backpack, especially since most of its rivals are more than twice its price. If you go by looks alone, you might think this is a basic cat backpack. I get it; I've been there. Truth be told, this was the very last backpack I tested because its simple, no-nonsense design lacking any fancy frills made it the least interesting to me. But give it a chance and you'll be pleasantly surprised. It's just as spacious and feature-rich as my top pick, and its bottom pad is thick and wrapped in velvety fabric, which is not only soft to the touch but also cat-friendly. Just like the Travel Cat Navigator (though not as airy), it has mesh windows at the top and front, both of which are zippered, as well as several pockets for storage, including one with a cable passthrough for easy phone charging. Similarly, my favorite features here are the carabiner-flaunting zipper pull tabs, which allow you to tether each pair of pull tabs to each other to prevent any wily escape attempts. It's very similar to what the Travel Cat Navigator has, except somehow more sophisticated and more robust, not to mention the most unexpected feature to find in a budget cat backpack. But wait, there's more. Unlike my top pick, it comes with a hip belt, which helps redistribute your fur baby's weight, as well as a back panel that unzips and unfolds into a very spacious mesh annex. This affords your cat a bit more space (and a better view) when you're at the vet's office, at an airport or on a plane. The latter is an incredibly considerate feature to throw in, as most animals don't enjoy being caged, yet it's not all that common with cat backpacks, which is surprising since it doesn't add that much bulk — and, as Pecute has proven, won't cost manufacturers as much to add. The only other model in my testing pool that boasts this feature is the pricier Pidan Expandable Cat Backpack, which doesn't do as elegant a job implementing the idea. The Pecute Cat Carrier Backpack's build quality is the most obvious sign of its low cost. It doesn't feel flimsy, but it also doesn't feel as robust as the winner, and its XL version tops out at 24 pounds in terms of load capacity. Still, it seems sturdy enough to give you a few good years without issue. At least, it was robust enough not to sag with Arrow inside, and believe me, he is neither small nor lightweight. If I were to nitpick, I would redesign the backpack straps to have more padding and adjustability. In its current iteration, this backpack doesn't go as high on my back as I would have liked, so its bottom back edge sits on my lower back. Combine that with its thinly padded straps, and it's not the most comfortable thing to carry on your back. Still, for a $50 cat backpack, you're getting a whole lot of bang for your buck, and if you're looking for a budget option, this is the one to get. Going through several cat carriers over the years has helped me test and assess cat backpacks. I started by evaluating those backpacks as I would regular carriers, using them to take my cats to the vet, then noting the differences in my experience with both. Naturally, since cat backpacks have their advantages over carriers in certain scenarios, I went out of my way to test them in those scenarios as well, like hiking with Arrow or just taking him on short walks around my neighborhood. (Arrow's the only cat in our clowder who's receptive to such activities. The other two would scream bloody murder until I took them home.) I did these tests over several weeks on some of the highest-rated cat backpacks I could get my hands on. In total, I tested six, each of which I evaluated based on the following criteria. Performance Space and capacity: Most cats might find small spaces cozy, but they still need enough space to lie down comfortably, so space was one of my top priorities during assessment. Also, I checked each cat backpack's maximum load capacity to ensure it could carry big cats without issue. Breathability: Especially when it's too hot outside, you want to make sure a cat backpack offers enough airflow for your kitty to breathe and not overheat. Cats love warm places, but you also don't want to keep them in oppressive conditions. Some cat backpacks have mesh windows, others have air slits and some have a combination of both. Safety: Unless you have an adventurous cat that can be comfortable in unfamiliar places, you want to make sure the cat backpack you're using comes with safety measures that prevent their escape. Comfort: A cat backpack not only has to be comfortable for your kitty but also comfortable for you to wear on your back. Imagine those straps digging into your skin or the bottom edge bruising your lower back during a long day of layovers. Design Build quality: A cat backpack doesn't have to be robust enough to withstand everyday wear and tear but should provide a few solid years of use. More importantly, it has to be sturdy enough to carry your cat without sagging at the bottom and not fall apart after a few scratches and bites, especially if you have a heavy kitty or a scratcher (or both). Portability and storage: Because a cat adds weight to a cat backpack, it's good to have a relatively lightweight one. It also helps if its straps are supportive and kind to your shoulders. In addition, a cat backpack that's collapsible for easy storage gets extra points. I usually have mine out in the open and within easy access of my cats so they can get used to them and not freak out when it's time to go to the vet, but some cat parents prefer to put them away. Extra features: Features such as pockets for storage, a leash or harness clip, a rain flap, a mesh extension and more are always nice to have. Cleaning: On our last trip to the vet, my cat Bow had an accident and sprayed all over the cat backpack he was in. I hate cleaning cat carriers, so having a model that's easy to clean — I like the soap and hose-down approach with minimal scrubbing — is a plus. Value Price: Accounting for all the aforementioned criteria, I compared each cat backpack's overall performance during testing to its price as well as to the price of the competition to gauge if it's a better value. As with any other product, choosing a cat backpack depends on your (and, of course, your cat's) personal preferences and needs. So, in addition to my testing criteria above, consider the following metrics before committing to a cat backpack. Type of cat backpack: There are different types of cat backpacks, the most common of which are bubble and soft-sided with mesh windows. However, there are expandable models and models made for hiking as well. Before you hit buy, make sure you've done your research on the different types so you know which one is most ideal for your needs. Size and capacity: I know I've included this in my testing criteria, but it's also highly variable. If you have an adult cat or a pet that's on the small and light side of the spectrum, a massive cat backpack might not serve you and your fur baby as well as a more compact one. On the other hand, if your pet is large and heavy, you'll need a backpack that can accommodate it. Removable mat: Because accidents are highly likely, consider choosing a cat backpack with a removable mat. This way, it's easier to clean the bottom and get to the harder-to-reach crevices and corners. Leash clip: Unless you fully trust your cat not to pull a Houdini, jump out and run away when you have one of the zippered flaps wide open, you'll want a cat backpack with a leash clip so you can tether your kitty to it, ensuring their safety. Not all cat backpacks have a leash clip. Pidan Expandable Cat Backpack There are some things about the Pidan Expandable Cat Backpack I love. First, it's very spacious and breathable inside, thanks in part to its two mesh windows and large mesh roof. I also appreciate its extendable mesh compartment (which has its own back door), its top rollable privacy-slash-rain flap and its included foldable litter box, which comes in handy on long trips. After all, you never know how long that vet visit will take. Selfishly, I also appreciate its sturdy, padded backpack straps, as they don't dig into my skin and can be adjusted high enough for leverage and comfort. Its design is attractive as well, so much so that at least a couple of other cat parents at the vet asked me where I got it from. There's room for improvement here. When folded, the extendable compartment doesn't quite sit flat in the main compartment, taking up about an inch and a half of space. The transparent plastic window doesn't feel very robust either. The max load capacity is only 16 pounds. And finally, unless you have the included litter box tucked in the bottom pocket to moonlight as padding, the bottom isn't padded enough to minimize sink. Roverlund Ready-For-Adventure Pet Backpack The Roverlund Ready-For-Adventure Pet Backpack is made of sturdier materials than the other cat backpacks in my testing pool, including my top pick. It has thick walls, water-resistant lining and a thick leash clip and handle. It also has robust back and bottom pads, both of which are removable if your pet doesn't need the extra protection and you don't want the added bulk. This pack is very clearly built for adventure, as its name suggests, and to ensure your pet isn't overheating inside while you're on a wilderness trek, it has two big zippered mesh windows on each side as well as a zippered mesh top panel. Unzip those, and your fur baby can stick their head out and enjoy some fresh mountain air. Unfortunately, for something made for adventure and boasting a 25-pound capacity, it feels bulky and, ironically, tight in the main compartment. If you have a cat that likes small, dark spaces, they may take to this cat backpack; otherwise, there are more spacious options for your feline. Fat Cat Backpack Carrier The Fat Cat Backpack Carrier is, in my opinion, the most adorable cat backpack of the bunch. Beyond its good looks, it's spacious and has a few good features as well, namely the two decently sized mesh pockets on its sides, a rollable top and a leash clip. What sets this pack apart from the rest is that it blends the best elements of the two most common cat backpack types. It's what I would recommend if you want a bubble type but don't necessarily trust that it has enough airflow inside. Because its front panel is swappable, you can replace the preinstalled mesh plastic with the included transparent dome window, which allows your kitty to stick its tiny face out and enjoy the scenery. Meanwhile, the side mesh windows and mesh top, along with the air holes on the dome and front panel, provide ample airflow. The thing I don't like about it, however, is that its bottom edge sits directly on my hip bone, regardless of its straps' length. This might not matter if you have a longer torso, but if you have a similar body structure to mine and have a heavier passenger in the pack, you may feel it digging into your hip, which is not ideal. Petkit Cat Backpack Carrier I can't confirm if it was Taylor Swift who popularized the bubble cat backpack. All I know is I've wanted one since I saw her using it during one of her tours a few years back, so I'm sad to say the novelty has already worn off. I appreciate the bubble type's hard-shell approach. There are benefits to it, including added protection and more structure. However, as appealing as the Petkit Cat Backpack Carrier is, its design is plagued with potential complications. For example, it has several vents as well as two small mesh windows on the side, but it doesn't feel breathable in there. Petkit must have realized this, because the brand included a small fan. Unfortunately, the fan isn't strong enough, makes a bit of noise that might startle an already stressed-out cat and doesn't come with a built-in battery. Meanwhile, the main compartment is not only tight but also hard to manage when you're trying to put an unwilling cat inside. If you've ever handled a kitty that will scratch, bite and claw its way out of being placed in a carrier, you know the way this backpack is designed to open and close is not conducive to that scenario. The backpack straps also need more padding and adjustability so the backpack won't sit too low on your back. I really want to like this cat backpack, and if you've read my self-cleaning litter box guide, you know I'm a fan of Petkit, but sadly I feel like it needs to go back to the drawing board with this one. Are cat backpacks safe for cats? Are cat backpacks safe for cats? Absolutely. Many cat owners use a cat backpack for trips to the vet, hikes and even cross-country road trips. When choosing a cat backpack, make sure it's spacious enough for your kitty. Can you bring a cat backpack onto a flight? Can you bring a cat backpack onto a flight? Airlines typically require a pet carrier to fit under the seat in front of you. As long as a cat backpack meets that requirement, you should be able to bring it on board just like a regular carrier. Before your flight, however, make sure to double-check your airline's specific pet carrier requirements to ensure you're meeting them. When is it better to use a cat backpack over a cat carrier? When is it better to use a cat backpack over a cat carrier? That largely depends on your preference as well as your cat's needs and comfort level. Some say cat backpacks are better for short trips, while carriers are ideal for longer trips since they're bigger, but I've used small carriers and tested expandable cat backpacks, so that's not a hard-and-fast rule. The one situation where a hard-shell carrier is most ideal is if you have to check your pet. However, checking a pet means they'll end up in the cargo hold, which is risky. Unless you absolutely must, I would avoid this scenario. CNN Underscored has a team of skilled writers and editors with many years of experience testing, researching and recommending products who ensure each article is carefully edited and products are properly vetted. We talk to top experts when applicable to make certain we test each product accurately and only recommend the best products while considering the pros and cons of each item. Testing writer Michelle Rae Uy has years of experience covering pet gear and writing pet product reviews. She's written several pet-specific guides, including the best automatic cat feeders and the best pet water fountains. She's a devoted cat mom to Arrow, Bow and Isla.
