[grecy]

Totally anecdotal - I've seen a lot of foreigners react in the same (but opposite) way when they come to the US.

i.e. driving on major roads around NYC, visiting schools, looking at houses, etc.

"Wow, it looks like it's half finished"

"Everything is so dirty"

"It's all covered in graffiti and falling down"

etc., etc.

[jakejake]

NYC is an awesome city, but you have to admit that walking around certain streets of NYC is not really a fair comparison to touring a top-of-the-line factory!

[andy_ppp]

There's that quote about a first world country for the rich and a third world country for the poor...

[grecy]

> walking around certain streets of NYC is not really a fair comparison to touring a top-of-the-line factory!

I was talking about walking around foreign cities compared to walking around cities in the US. The difference is stark.

[makeset]

NYC roads themselves make a good case for driving 4WD SUVs. What measly taxes we must be paying are clearly all spent on keeping the subway system clean and affordable.