The U.S. is almost a magical place; like Hong Kong, it was built by immigrants and refugees who arrived with nearly nothing and faced with an uncertain future. With determination and grit, they resolved to make this a meritocracy where they believed anyone can make it with hard work.
The one thing the U.S. consistently shines at is its mercantilism. People from all around the world arrived in America and made something of themselves because they couldn’t do so back in their home countries. Pizza, once the affordable food for 18th century Italian peasants, became a worldwide favourite because American troops enjoyed its ease of preparation in the Second World War.
Polish inventors like Maksymilian Faktorowicz (of Max Factor fame) and Henryk Magnuski (who invented the first cell phone with Motorola) found the environment to thrive in America. Albert Einstein, Nikola Tesla and Andrew Carnegie all left sue to political instability or poor economic conditions to seek a better life in America, and many still do today.
I’ve visited the U.S. only occasionally in my late teens and early 20s and usually solo to see friends I had there. I took the opportunity to visit Washington, D.C., on the 240th anniversary of America’s independence, traced the War of 1812, and ride a bicycle from B.C. to Washington state.
Later, I moved to Canada, and resolved to learn as much about this experimental union as I could. In the ten years since my first visit to the U.S. as an adult, I have visited all 50 states. Click on a picture of each state to learn more.
