New York tops Swedish holiday wish list

Why would anyone want to go to the hell hole of New York City? Go to middle USA and get a true taste of the country.

@HYBRED

I have to occur American cites seem to be magnets for the twisted and dysfunctional, leaving the rest of the country a most pleasant experience - for daily life as well as for the visitor.

But if it's the freak show that you/re into, then the big cities are for you.

Enter at your own risk .

@hybred :)

Why would anyone want to go to the hell hole of New York City?

Because it is a great city, lot's to do, lot's to buy, a pretty progressive atmosphere that europeans like.

Go to middle USA and get a true taste of the country.

But do people want that? I mean if you want to see loads of conservative religious people you can also go Poland or Libya. And that is even closer.

@eppie

"Because it is a great city, lot's to do, lot's to buy, a pretty progressive atmosphere that europeans like"

Thats a joke right? It's not a great city, it is a hell hole. "Pretty progressive"? Dream on. The city is well behind the times. And I wouldn't be so sure what Europeans like.

Middle America like Poland or Libya. Dream on, or better yet get educated.

HYbred, cause NY is such an amazing place. Not as beautiful as Paris or Rome but in NY you can feel life without all the snobbery and uncalled pretentiousness. You can walk from China town all the way up to Spanish Harlem and each block will bring you something magnificent. Take a ride to Flatbush or Jerome avenue and grab a nice Jamaican beef patty . Central park concerts, St. Patrick day parade is the best in NY. Stop and have slice at one of the many original ray pizzerias;-)) and a large cocke with lots of ice or go to Tribaca and enjoy a fantastic gourmet meal. It is NY. It is one of the only city where you can find orthodox Jews, Muslims, Sikhs and everyone working together without all the animosity which normally accompanies such encounter. NY, NY, repeat it twice would ya! ;-)

I agree with hybred and roy.

Away from the big cities America is a pleasant and interesting place with lots of friendly folk.

The fact that a city like new york is the nimber one choice for Swedes is to me a sad reflection on what they have become.

Never mind, each to his own and lots of lovely wide open countryside for the rest of us.

" G

This is one of the greatest things about America. It is called having almost limitless options (Lacking in Sweden). Eppie can hang out in the Big Apple and Roy and Hybred can choose from everything else. No need to be hatin', there is plenty of room to not bump into each other there.

The best city to go in spring is Paris.

Which is why I'm off there for a long week-end in a couple of weeks.

You can stick New York where the sun don't shine.

Been there done that and skipped the tee shirt

@Rishonim

"It is NY. It is one of the only city where you can find orthodox Jews, Muslims, Sikhs and everyone working together without all the animosity which normally accompanies such encounter...."

This shows exactly how little you know about the USA. The situation you discribed above happens all over the USA.

Pizza and a cookie?? Like NYC is the only place that has that. Much better are found elsewhere.

@jack and hybred

I have travelled all over the US and I certainly enjoy the great nature in the midwest/west, but for the rest there is hardly anything attractive for tourists. (and that comes from somebody for whom the US is his number 1 holiday destination and apart from natural beauty is also interested in the (social) culture. So think what somebody that isn't to interested in this social culture would say about the midwest.

Then answer the question if those people are stupid that they want to go to NY-city, or that there maybe is some other reason why people don't want to go to the midwest.

I can name a few if you have problems:

1 large concentration of ignorant people that probably are not even able to mention 3 european countries with their capitals.....let alone know something about other countries.

2 Still widespread hatred an bigotry against anyone no being white, christian, heterosexual

3 Difficulty of buying some alcohol without having to feel like a criminal. The chance of being clubbed in the face by a police officer when drinking a beer on the street.

Many people here appriciate some openness, ethics, morality and are not happy to be surrounded by religious extremists. Because as I said before, you can also go to libya or poland or say Iran. Chances are it is even cheaper.

Of course people are friendly, people are also friendly in Iran.

@eppie: Aren't you exaggerating just a little?

eppie,

is there any chance that a place/country...whatever...could satisfy your ambition?

Eppie, New York has become a great city AGAIN because they have had years of Republican's running the city.

So don't lecture about it being better than the rest of the coutry because it's "more progressive"

Syftfel,

Eppie is exaggerating alot. My guess is he learned everything he ever need to know about America from COPS.

Wow, Eppie you might want to consider liberating yourself from that tiny little box you've confined your powers of observation and imagination to.

Break yourself free of agenda driven caricatures! University did you no favors in giving birth to those demons. Set them free - and be free.

No offense to the NYC lovers out there, but I can think of lots of places I'd rather be over spring break. Me, I'm heading out to Utah to do a little hiking, biking and camping in the high desert.

What do N.Y. and disney land have in common? Once is enough. I am sure it is interesting for girls, but it just aint much of a mans place.

@swedesmith

"Me, I'm heading out to Utah to do a little hiking, biking and camping in the high desert"

Reminds me of a tour around the Rockies we did a few years ago, Every night after checking in to a hotel, the first thing was to head for the bar and a Marguerita until we hit Utah!!! After that the plan to spend 3 nights in Utah went out the window and we hightailed it across the desert back to Colorado. The barman in the hotel bar who served us that ice cold drink just said "you folks look like you just came from Utah

@buschmann

It's what New York City and Disneyland do not have in common that is far more significant.

In Disneyland, you can get away with being naive and not regret it for the rest of your life.

More and more big cities are becoming much the same the world over with a similar mix of ppl from around the world, similar shops selling similar goods,deprived areas,expensive areas and all manner of ppl trying to rip you off or rob you by whatever means they can.

The more modern richer ones are trying to outdo each other by building higher and higher buildings whilst some of the European ones at least have a few unique historical attractions for those willing to pay through the nose and put up with the hassle of all the hussle and bustle of such overcrowded places.

Give me the freedom of wide open spaces and natural attractions any day of the week.

@americanska and others

I am not lecturing anybody. You are the ones that don't agree with the article.

For some reason it is difficult for people to understand that swedes want to visit New York (starting with the first reactions in this thread).

So I give reason why I think Swedes might like New York better than the rest of the US.

Anyway, if you people want to state that Swedes are wrong wanting to go to New York, than that is your problem.....I'd rather not tell people they are wrong to be wanting to go to a certain destination.

@syftel

Yes I am exaggerating a little bit. But I can give you many stories (personal experience) of weird conservatives I have seen and spoken to in Virginia, Kentucky, Tenessee, Utah, Arizona etc.

So one choice is just to keep telling the whole world is stupid, another choice is asking yourself the question why people don't want to visit the midwest.

NYC really is a great place to visit. There is nowhere quite like it, but I'm surprised it would be on the top of anybody's list. I can think of a lot of North American destinations I'd pick first.

@eppie.... Lots of americans visit the upper mid-west regions of Northen Minnesota, wisconsin and the upper peninsula of Michigan. (lake superior region) Not so many swedes would go there since they have the same type of enviroments at home. I do remember an occasion when I met a two young couples "swedish" at a bar in the town of "Finland" minnesota. The place was getting very rowdy and they looked like fish out of water.

It really surprised me last year when I was in Sweden how it lacked a vibrant dynamic for a wealthy country. Sunday there reminded me of Australia over 30 years ago.

Yes, visit the Midwest instead and you can tour all the generic strip malls, chain restaurants and Mart stores of various varieties and marvel at the fat people...

The people may be nice but the midwest is about the least interesting place on the planet outside of a Swedish suburb. :) The northeast and west of the Rockies are where it's at.

NYC is awesome. It's epic, super fun, and there's no place like it in the world. The Americans who hate on NY are the same ones who never left the country and consider Applebee's an exciting night out.

New York is fine if you like crowds, pavement, rude locals, and crime. However, one of the US's best kept secret vacation spots is the Oregon Coast. Spring is the off season but the weather is very similar to Summer when all the tourists travel highway 1, but the hotel rates are less expensive.

And Oregon has no sales taxes, and prices are reasonable. I've lived her for my whole life, but have traveled the US. My family still will prefers vacationing here, and other parts of Oregon, such as Crater Lake.

Also, there are several mountains in Oregon with ski resorts, and the climate is much like Seattle's in the West, but more like Nevada in the East. In our county, Lane, we can go from the coast to the valley, to the mountains to the desert without leaving our county.

What's funny is many people on the East Coast don't even know Oregon exists, and cannot even pronounce it (Or-ee-gun or Or-ee-gin) so it's sort of a secret state which happens to be larger than Ireland.

Keyword search on Google: scandinavian festival ;and the first search hit will be in Junction City, Oregon.

From my own visit last year (thanks for the suggestions, Locallers!) going to NY is an experience, not necessarily a place to relax or enjoy tranquil scenery etc.

I found it fascinating for its architecture plus the relentless commercialism [plus sales tax]. And the people we met were uniformly friendly and helpful to us, as tourists.

@ technoviking, Americans do not go to other american cities to vacation..... Dah.... As far as fat americans....... Well When I look at the fotos of the mid-week revielers, it becomes obvious that those 1.3 million swedes who emmigrated to the U.S. (mostly midwest) were the better have of the swedish population. The folks who had some get up an go!

@rakerson: So, it rhymes with 'polygon', is that it ?

@ buschmann

Yep. Only ugly people over here in Stockholm. Nothing to see here. ;)

I grew up in the US and I'm still there for a chunk of the year. I know how many fat people there are. It's ridiculous.

Though yes, Dakota/Montana area Swedish decendents are the best looking in America.

Chicago has a surprisingly high number of beautiful women. Mix of Nordic and Eastern Europeans backgrounds both of which are tied for best looking women worldwide.

LA is way overhyped on looks. NY is average, but the people are way smarter so it evens out. I agree midwest probably has it locked overall.

Swedish chicks are getting fatter year by year and something has to be done about it.

Best looking women are in Dalmatia Croatia and they have the longest legs.

As far as I can tell, Swedes and all other Euros want to go to the cities they see on TV and in the movies. NYC, LA and for some reason all seem to know Alabama. I always hear romantic notions of doing US road trips which generally never materialize. A few other mentions are Vegas and Miami and yes even Texas (not really knowing where in Texas they'd like to go, or what's even there besides romantic notions of cowboys and open range). There are so many other great places to go in the US. I read a few of the really ignorant comments by people who don't know America and stereotype it as some kind of conservative, fundamentalist backwater. In my view, America is more libertarian than conservative, but Euros have a tough time understanding libertarian concepts in practice. Diverse political opinions are more open than in Europe. Same goes for the diversity of religion. Some places that I think Swedes might enjoy are Yellowstone and canyonlands if your looking to some of the Great American West. My vote for most overhyped hellhole of a city with some amazing PR due mainly to TV is Miami. I'll never forget one day when I was on Miami Beach and some Frenchie is dragging his family up and down the beach looking for the center of it all, saying "This is Miami Beach? Where is everything?". I let him know that he was in the dead center of it and this was as good as it gets. No beautiful people to see here, just a lot of bizarro gender benders and the riff-raff that made it over the bridge after washing up on the beach two weeks earlier. The only reason I was there was to prove to some visiting Euro friends that the beach scene in just about any town on the Med beats Miami hands down.

For a great vacation go to the napa valley california. Fine food wine entertainment. The little town of Yountville calif is a great place to stay. Avoid the big ugly cities. Re: immigration of the swedes, they all went to minnisota a place much like sweden.

Rakerson,

You forgot Florence, Oregon and the sand dunes. Unbelievable considering the surrounding area. The Landmark Inn Bed and Breakfast is an awesome place to stay while you rent VW sand rails or 4 wheelers.

Highway 101 is an amazing route up and down the west coast of the US. Something scenic is available to explore about every 5 minutes.

Is USA a place to visit? Oneshould have some aethetical conscience to do decisions.Its the land of the tyrants. Worthy to be deserted

Glamshek,

You are welcome to stay away. You won't be missed.

Swedes like NYC because sweden is the complete opposite,they may want to find them selves,which some you should try'n do,instead of hating on others.

There is excitment in NYC LOTS of things to do (unlike sweden).

Different mind set , i know Swedes don't like different......aint that a FACT!!!!!!!!

DON'T HATE THE PLAYER HATE D GAME.

YOU DIG!!!!!!!!!!!

New York is great for serious shopping. Not as good as Paris for serious shopping but still good.

Regarding the culture in New York. There is none. There is also very little to see.

I miss the twin towers as I would met cousins and friends in the resturant in the observation resturant. Good view, unfortunately now gone.

That French gift to New York, the statute of Liberty is interesting. The view from the Empire state building is OK, although like being in a wind tunnel.

Apart from that, there is little else really there. Like a lot fo US cities it is very sterile.

The only city that has real life and a soul is New Orleans, which has a brilliant party. New Orleans is the city to visit for city life.

If going to the USA, I would recommend the Grand Canyon, treks in the Appalachians, the deserts in Nevada at night for stargazing or maybe some gold panning in the rockies. Of the coast of California there are boat trips to go whale watching as well, which can be pretty good.

If Swedes wanted real culture which most Swedes can't handle, they would goto Paris, Marseilles, Madrid, Rome, Zagreb, Vienna, Milan, Hamburg, Krakow, Poznan, Bratislava, Budapest, Belgrade, Athens, etc, etc. That would mean no longer ignoring the fact that Sweden is part of Europe, so will never happen.

NEMESIS

Good point

But i also think its about what you like as individals,how many swedes got to NYC & see a Basketball or Football game,go downtown,watch a play,do BBQ,club,party,site see,hang out,eat out (varies cultral resturants) etc.............

Dont tell me there aint things to do,u see in sweden u guys natrually grow up with nothing doing,hence making you sterile when abroad.......

Again its all about what one likes doing or what one has done before hand.....

Get out there & learn............

eppie, can you elaborate your experience with the American religious extremist a little bit? like how did they beat up non whites, homosexuals, Buddhists, etc.

The MidWest can be boring when it comes to the types of people and culture one sees there: White, White, White. Go to the big cities (Chicago, Houston, San Francisco, San Diego) to see the endless variety of colors and flavours that America can offer. I bet you Swedes would appreciate the variety in culture, entertainment, food and drink that big American cities offer... Oh, and big cities tend to be tourist-friendly and liberal, so you'll feel welcomed there.

@samwise

Well from personal experience no.

But we all now (at least those of us that read history books) that lynching of blacks was a regular phenomenon not that long ago.

Also if you choose to be an abortion surgeon, you have a reasonable chance of being killed.

And to my best knowledge homosexuality is not really accepted in most states. Many people apparantly feel obliged to tell other people that they are not allowed to get married for example.

Those are things that we in the west of europe are not to keen on.

Eppie please

Your words "Those are things that we in the west of europe are not to keen on"

Tell me - France(Africa,Carribean,)Portugal(Africa,Carribean,South America),England, (THE WORLD) Spain(sOUTH AMERICA,CARRIBEAN),Italy(AFRICA,PARTS OF M.E),Germany(AFRICA,JEWS),Denmark(MAKING SLAVE SHIPS FOR OTHER COUNTRIES & SWEDEN EXPORTING ARMS WORLDWIDE & many more have all been involved,Country built on atrocities,enslaving,raping,stealing,robbing,envolment.............please,

yes the US have got a poor Rep but as the saying goes,"IF U LIVE IN A GLASS HOUSE DON'T THROW NO STONES.............

gherhardt

"The MidWest can be boring when it comes to the types of people and culture one sees there: White, White, White. Go to the big cities (Chicago, Houston, San Francisco, San Diego)"

You knowlege of "Big American Cities is quite vast" :s.... Chicago is in the Midwest! Not to mention the cities you left out.

Also, the Midwest is where most Swedes emmigrated too. So if you think the ethnicities and cultures are boring, I guess that isn't surprising.

Every European I know that has gone to the US likes San Francisco most, but that is because it is more like a European city. But don't you go on holiday to experience something different?

@ Eppi. One generation is saved by the US, the next generation is jealous of what we have, the next generation is raised to hate us and is brainwashed into someone like..well....you.

Interesting article!

mmm New York is the new fashion capital of the world and Swedish women are very fashion conscious...ask Sofi Fahrman! :)

Americanska, : "But don't you go on holiday to experience something different? " ... You've made my point.

What I've loved about big American cities is the microcosm of peoples and cultures, as if the World is right outside your front door: Moroccan cuisine, Italian designs, West African music, Mayan artifacts, Basque culture, Vietnamese festivals... Where else can you find all of these at the same time.

Oh, and Chicago is a big city with lots of interesting peoples, even though it's in the midwest.

gherhardt - i know. I was pointing out that you said the midwest is boring and yet Chicago is the "Second City" of the USA.

Eppi has obiviously never been to the states lol.

I grew up in a midwest city of 3 million people. There's a huge mix of races, religions, food, culture etc. Most people there don't give a sh#t if you're gay, most aren't religious and most aren't ultra conservative.

People from all over the world work together, hang out together, live in the same areas and get along. You can go downtown and hear 4 or 5 different languages on any day and get food from all over the world. There's a ton of different theaters, museums, clubs and galleries that have things going on daily, even during the week. Throughout the year there are traditional African, African American, Asian, Latino, Italian, Irish, German, Native American, Slavic, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern festivals and celebrations and those are only the ones I know about, there's probably many more.

You can also be honest and open with your opinions and actually get into a constructive discussion or debate about religion, abortion, politics etc. without automatically being called a nasty name, which is more than I can say for the situation here in Sweden. There are ugly strip malls but they aren't any worse than the strip malls and eastern block apartments that are all over Sweden and Europe. We don't have hundreds of years of history but there are some very pretty areas in every decent-sized city there.

For you to say there isn't any culture or anything to do only shows ignorance and bigotry on your part.

It's easy to see why NY city is a popular choice for, it has all the stuff I mentioned above on a huge scale. There's also great shopping and a buzz of energy that doesn't exist in Sweden. Besides the big cities, there are a ton of other great places to visit in the states as well, particularly if you enjoy nature. There's deserts, pine forests, rain forests, mountains, beaches, any kind of weather you want and any number of things to do.

To get to alot of those places though would add a lot of hours to a flight from Europe. It's about 11 hours just to get to NY and would be another 5 to 7 hours to get anywhere on the west coast. It makes sense that places like NY and Miami would be popular.

Eppie,

Four doctors have been killed in abortion clinic attacks in the US. There about 1700 doctors who perform abortions. 4 killed is 4 too many, but again, you are exaggerating.

Now you're in New York! These streets will make you feel brand new, the lights will inspire you, let's hear it for New York :D chill guys

New York a city that never sleeps

A big apple that everyone wanna eat

Skyscrapers that everyone wanna see

Nightlife that everyone wanna hangout

Yeah Yeah Yeah New York! I love NY

@southtraveler

I have very probably been in more US states then you have. At the same time I can't remember writing there is no culture in the US.

Your last paragraph makes good sense.

@amerikanska

If you care to read you would know that I personally like to visit the US and have been around in whole the country. Now would I do that if I hated Americans?

If you as american are worried that you don't atract enough visitors, then you should listen to opinions of people with a different perspective than yours. If you don't care about attracting more visitors.....well then just don't read what I write.

Eppie,

just because some people want to keep the traditional definition of marriage, you automatically look down on them? You have no moral concern with abortion at all?

The point is, you assume your views are morally good, so you feel disgusted by people hold opposite views. That's fine. Just keep in mind that they may have exactly the same reasoning.

You call them bigots simply because you have faith on your views.

You should really try it out with some real American religious extremists, tell them exactly what you think about them, and see the reaction. You might be surprised.

Anyway, you don't have much experience with them as you acknowledged, but you hate them already. If your target is, let's say gays, you would be awarded all the politically correct labels.

Holy crap you guys calm down. I live in Chicago which is a great city. NYC is a great city. There are several great cities in the US and around the world. After living in Chicago, I can't see myself living in anything but a world class city. I have visited many world class cities around the world and there is something to be had from all of them.

That being said one of my favorite things to do is to go hiking. And not walking around on paved trails in local park districts. I am talking about getting several days away from towns, virtually no people. I have hiked in the mountains of Virginia, an island that straddles the border of the US and Canada, the Everglades in southern Florida, and some day hiking in China.

Loving great cities and loving less populated naturally beautiful areas are not mutually exclusive.

@americanska

"Chicago is the "Second City" of the USA."

WE'RE SECOND TO NO ONE!! Sorry just my Chicago pride coming out.

@ Nemesis

"Regarding the culture in New York. There is none. There is also very little to see."

Is this a joke? This ranks top 3 for stupidest comments ever on the Local. NY is one of the cultural capitals of the world.

Name a single cultural endeavor, music, food, opera, nightlife, theater etc. and NY is doing it 10X more and probably better than anywhere in Europe.

You sound like an ignorant tourist who spends his vacations shopping and never even saw the city.

If you're spending your time hanging around Times Square going from tourist trap to tourist trap, like most critics on here, you've never been to NY. There are no New Yorkers hanging out in Times Square. Just idiot tourists.

America is about the same size as the entire Europe, how many "well-educated" Europeans can name some capitals of American states? in Europe, you see 5 countries in 10 hour drive, but you can't do that in North America, Anyway, I don't really care much about people's knowledge, I go to computers and the internet for that.

@samwise

"how many "well-educated" Europeans can name some capitals of American states"

and how many "well-educated" Americans know where Europe is or even name the countries never mind the Capitals of those countries

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb4Aygk3NUs

If a man goes to NYC on vacation that means he's gay.

@ buschmann

Spoken like a true redneck.

Why don't you take a trip over to the NYC Gracie academy one of the many local boxing gyms and talk to them about how gay NY is?

Rick Methven,

we're heading back to kinder garden I guess.

I don't believe knowing all european capitals would make me or anybody a kinder nicer person, I wouldn't make a big deal out of it.

In this discussion it feels like some people missed that article is about weekend vacations. People who go on a short vacation like that usually go to the big cities, to do some shopping, to watch some play or musicals, and maybe visit some of the landmarks. People usually don't travel that far to go hiking or camping for a day or two and then travel home again. That's for longer vacations, for a week or so, not over the weekend. Weekend tickets to New York are often cheaper then to other places. Now, when the dollar is so cheap, it's a great time to do some shopping there!

@technoviking, Thank you! Thats the nicest thing you could have said. I lived in Bayside NY for one summer , after pedaling my bike there from North Carolina. Worked at a marina and lived on a barge. It was cool. I went into the city twice, first time was fun second time was boring. Boxing is ancient history. Ultimate fighting is where it's att. I didn't say the residents were gay, but it has always been known as a gay destination. @ Elvine, Nothing beats four season wilderness camping. My guess is that nobody on this site even knows what that means, except for maybe you and I.

Why do the Swedes want to go to New York?

I can tell you (because i´m Swedish).

It´s different from Sweden.

Some of you are saying that there are nicer places to visit in the usa with great nature and whatnot, but we have that in Sweden.

It´s interesting to watch the hassle of a big city, and when we had enough, we can go home to our peaceful and serene country.

Rick,

Funny video.

@ theres only deers and queers in middle America boy.