There’s a dearth of historic towns in the USA, especially away from the coasts. I’ve been to Germany, and I could absolutely see that being a common and wonderful activity there because all the towns I visited were beautiful and interesting and pedestrian-friendly. Here in the USA many towns are just flat boring stretches of corporate chains and residential areas, without much in the way of gardens, parks, historical sites or public art. National parks offer large wilderness areas but are overcrowded, sometimes distant, and increasingly expensive.
But I think the main issue is that so many Americans are assholes. I don’t want to hang out with strangers because there’s a decent chance they may be complete monsters. I have felt that pleasure of being out among people doing something before, but it’s grown less and less over the past five or six years. If I lived in Germany or Norway (which I would very much like to do once certain responsibilities here are fulfilled), I’d probably feel a lot more like you do- I certainly did when I was visiting there.
