Coronavirus tourism: where to go to the USA for residents of the northeastern part of the country - ForumDaily
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Coronavirus tourism: where to go to the US for residents of the northeastern part of the country

In the United States, the end of summer is officially considered not August 31, but September 20, on the autumn equinox. However, the results of summer 2020 can be summed up now: for obvious reasons, it passed under the banner of “developing domestic tourism.”

Photo: Shutterstock

List of countries where American tourists are expected this summer: Mexico, Turkey, several other states and that’s it. This map, consisting of almost entirely red “stop countries” prohibiting entry for Americans due to the coronavirus, was reposted by several of my friends on social networks.

Therefore, Americans unwittingly participated in the “Travel America” project this holiday season.

It would seem that you have to choose - I don’t want to: here you have the redwoods of California, and the beaches of Miami, and the canyons of Arizona, and the deserts of Texas, and the mountains of West Virginia, and the lakes of New York state. But there is a paradox: this country is so large that the options for getting there by car, without an airplane, are limited by where you live.

If you can drive the whole of Ukraine in 11 hours (from north to south), or at most 16 hours (from west to east), then from the shores of the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, traveling by highway takes an exciting 39 hours in a car - and this is without stops.

Moreover, these highways mostly have a very monotonous landscape: asphalt, cars, trees, road signs - no romance of a “road trip”. And to really see the cities, parks, magnificent forests and fields, you need to choose scenic local roads, and this will take even more time.

Of course, among my friends there are daredevils who proudly covered the distance “from coast to coast,” even with children, but this is either long or tiring. Therefore, in conditions where I am still wary of getting on a plane, I, like many, have only local tourism left, within 3-8 hours by car.

For residents of the District of Columbia and several surrounding states, there are essentially two main options: a certain "Carpathian Mountains" - the Appalachian Mountains, or something similar to "Odessa" - the coast of the states of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, North and South Carolina (comparisons are conditional). Taking advantage of the unique opportunity of not being able to travel abroad, I tried both options this summer.

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The Appalachian Mountains are truly similar to the Carpathians: in height, landscape and local people. Probably for the first time in four years of living in the USA, having driven only 3 hours from Washington, I got a good look at how life is in the provincial part of the country. Incredible landscapes - and a lot of abandoned houses; good tourist infrastructure - and people who are not accustomed to strangers; gorgeous mountain roads - and the lack of places where you can walk or ride a bike, and not just drive.

The food there is delicious and simple: for the first time in years I ate a chop with mashed potatoes, which tasted like in the Mohilyanka dining room, only served in a small mountain tavern, where we were the only non-local visitors. The entertainment is just as simple there: walks, excursions to caves, camping. But most of all I liked the fact that there you can really take a break from the people who rushed en masse to occupy the beaches.

I rejected the first idea to do the same on the 4th of July, US Independence Day. As in Ukraine, holidays are sacred for Americans, and the beginning and end of the “long weekend” are marked by traditional traffic jams: first, the “liberation” of Washington followed by its “capture” two days later.

A few weeks before July 4, it is simply impossible to book any accommodation near the beach in the United States, besides, I was just doing a story about the situation with the coronavirus and saw a video from beaches where there were a lot of people.

Therefore, we made the second “approach” to storm the beaches of “American Odessa” in August. What can you say: there really are a lot of people, both on the beach and on the embankments and streets of seaside, or rather oceanfront, cities. However, the local food left a good impression: fresh seafood, “Creole” cuisine, good barbecue.

If, on the whole, we compare it with the Black Sea resorts, then in the USA we are very pleased with the cleanliness of the sand, the availability of toilets, showers, umbrellas and beach chairs for rent.

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It is interesting that the Atlantic coast itself is much longer than the Odessa, Kherson and Nikolaev regions combined, but, in fact, the beaches in Delaware and Georgia are very similar and differ in that the water is much warmer to the south. And starting in South Carolina, palm trees begin to peek out in the landscapes, reaching their apogee in Florida.

The third vacation option, if we talk about Washington, was available to those lucky ones who live in houses with swimming pools. Although there are limitations.

For example, our swimming pool was opened a month later (no one is going to return the payment for it, which is included in the rental), the opening hours were shortened, the number of sun loungers and tables was reduced by two thirds, and mandatory half-hour breaks were introduced to disinfect them (at this time for all people are kicked out not only from the water, but also from the pool area). They also limited the number of visitors and introduced online booking for a specific hour (with a check of a “ticket” and a special bracelet at the entrance). Plus it was forbidden to bring guests.

Compared to previous years, there are actually fewer people relaxing by the pool. It seems to me because most people have become too lazy to fulfill all these requirements. But those who went can be divided into several categories. The classification is my personal one, based on what I saw myself while relaxing by the pool.

1. "Pro." Not a single muscle on their face will betray their joy about the “summer-sun and water” disposition. Whatever the weather and water temperature, the main thing for them is the result. They gracefully dive “pike” and at cruising speed fulfill their quota of 20-40-80 crossings of the pool.

2. "Prepared." To avoid getting sunburned, the first thing they do is coat every part of their skin with a thick layer of sunscreen. Even if +25. Even if it's cloudy. To avoid pulling a muscle, before swimming, they thoroughly warm up for 15 minutes, squat and wave their arms. They know all the rules of careful behavior on the water and will not deviate a single step from them. Even if the depth of the pool is 1,5 meters. Savvy and knowledgeable, such people do not allow themselves to be caught off guard and are ready to share their wisdom with others.

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3. "Restless." Adult children jump with a bomb, splash, dive, leaving their feet in the air, spitting water like camels. The look in their eyes says: unlike others, I really know how to have fun in the pool.

4. "Party" They can't just come to the pool without company, food, drinks and a speaker from which this summer's fashionable performers squeal. They don’t swim in the pool, but they sit in the water and chat, trying to shout over their own music. To compensate for the lack of clubs and parties this summer, they are doing everything to invite more friends to the pool and have a good rest.

5. “Moms/Dads.” If it were up to them, they would spend this time more usefully, but the pool gives them precious moments when the child does not have to be entertained. Therefore, “moms/dads” can take a break from household chores, occasionally casting a tired glance towards the baby who is having a sea battle with a peer, and hoping that if something happens, a rescuer will provide backup.

6. “Roasted.” Even a grilled chicken would be jealous of their skin color. To achieve an optimally even tan, they choose a bikini or micro swimsuit (considered indecent in the US) and spend long days under the scorching sun. Most often these are older people, and therefore they have both time and inspiration for sunbathing.

7. "Flowers". They come to the pool only when the sun is shining, swim only in warm water, lazily lie on a sun lounger or read. They don’t bother anyone and don’t express irritation themselves, even if a neighbor’s child is screaming and getting active near them, after which it will be a shame to return their splattered book to the library.

The original column is published on the website. Ukrainian service "Voices of America".

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