After Visiting the US, We Saw American Suburbs Differently

本站添加: 2026-05-05

[00:00:00]Country roads take me home. Whatever.

[00:00:04]>> What do you think about life in an American suburb?

[00:00:08]>> Life in an American suburb. That's actually sounds quite great.

[00:00:14]>> I can imagine both of us sitting in our front backyard watching a couple of cocoons destroying ours neighbors trash.

[00:00:24]>> Oh, are you sure?

[00:00:25]>> No, not really. Actually, I don't know anything about American suburbs. That's why we are going to react to this one.

[00:00:32]Culture shock, a British perspective on American suburbs. Sara, say hello to our friends.

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[00:00:57]Hello. I've lived in my first American house now for about three or four months, and I've been getting a lot of questions from people back home saying things like, "Lawrence, what's it like to live in American suburbia after all this time?" I don't really have an easy answer for that. Obviously, I've never lived in American suburbia before. But something that you've got to understand about us British people is that we have a sort of romantic view.

[00:01:20]>> No, for sure there is a romantic view about American suburbs. But to be fair, I mean in San Antonio, if you are not aware, we went to San Antonio, Texas. We saw suburbs that look like this one.

[00:01:33]>> Just like that. Yeah.

[00:01:34]>> Yeah. Just like that. And I think they are quite beautiful. Of course, there is suburbs that are more rich, others more middle class >> with house with designs more simple.

[00:01:44]>> Yeah. Yeah. More simple. But overall, the houses felt huge no matter what.

[00:01:48]Actually, >> beautiful. Everything put together.

[00:01:52]>> Yeah. Yeah. No. No. the American sub.

[00:01:54]That's why a lot of Europeans commentize about the American suburb suburban feel like >> sort of romantic view of what American suburban life might be like. And that's partly due to how we've received the information through films such as those of John Hughes or Suburban Commander with Hulk Hogan. And we usually come away from it thinking, all right, so American suburbia is this place that is not to be trusted whatsoever, at the same time being a place that Americans most want to live. And so now that improbably I find myself living in American suburban land, it's time to answer, what is it actually like living there?

[00:02:30]>> Okay.

[00:02:34]>> And my answer to that question does come in several parts, but I'm going to break it down into just two.

[00:02:40]>> No, probably several. The first word that comes to mind when I think of my life here in American suburbia is quiet.

[00:02:47]And I know what you're thinking, Lawrence. Quiet is just code for boring and let me tell you.

[00:02:52]>> No, it is.

[00:02:53]>> No, it isn't. I mean, living in American suburb seems much better than living in the in the middle of the city, you know.

[00:03:00]>> Yeah, for sure.

[00:03:01]>> I mean, to you know, silence, you know, >> you can grow your family, you in peace.

[00:03:09]It's I prefer that way.

[00:03:11]>> Yeah, that's that is true. It is it's quite boring here. But that's not necessarily a criticism. You know, that just means that not no bad stuff happens, >> right?

[00:03:21]>> You wouldn't think it listening to Suburban Sue, but for the most part, no bad stuff happens. It's really quiet, but it's boring, right? There are no barcades for four miles. That's why that's why I got a dog. Taking your dog for a walk around here is one of the best things you can do. You suddenly become >> Yeah. the thing that they saying it's boring. That's a tremendous quality, you know, because I mean it's your place is where you rest is where you try to find peace of mind. So this is an amazing thing.

[00:03:49]>> Yeah. It's for you relax.

[00:03:51]>> Yeah. For you to relax. And the thing is American suburbs at least again in San Antonio, but I'm assuming similar to a lot of places. Yeah. They are they are I would say far away from the city >> but the infrastructure in America is very good that in a couple of minutes they they are into the the highway >> right >> going to to to >> to the city. So I I really like the way America does the the suburbs the the way America is was constructed kind of you know >> it's perfect >> for me it is I >> I think uh something that we can criticize is sidewalks is not a big thing overall in America >> I can see that this shows exactly that my friends we would have a sidewalk of because the the the land owner >> needs to to do that for it's it's there is a lot of rules about that basically but uh it's it's close to perfect to me >> part of this committee of dog owners and you bump into other members of this committee and they all talk to you as if they've known you your entire life for me this wasn't part of the bargain this wasn't part of the deal of getting a dog I didn't think I'd have to talk to any other humans that was one of the the good things of getting away from the city but now if you have a dog on a leash specifically if he's a puppy suburban Americans will talk to you.

[00:05:15]Now, thankfully, they mostly talk at the dog, so you don't really have to even make eye contact if you don't want to.

[00:05:21]And that's good being British, but everyone and their mother has a dog. And actually, now that I've said that out loud, I realize it's not quite true because there are some people who in their yards have these signs that say no dogs allowed. Who are you to say that dogs aren't allowed? Right? This land that you've been paying a mortgage on and you think you own, you don't own it anymore. My dog owns it. Look, he did a little poo in your garden. What you going to do? Oh, you're coming at me with a rake. All right.

[00:05:50]>> But speaking of yard signs, Americans are big fans of those, aren't they? Even in the off season, right? Even when there's no politics happening whatsoever, which is never when there's no election, people will have yard signs about all kinds of things. One the other day that said something like true, >> drive like your kids are playing in the street. And they obviously weren't familiar with >> actually a couple of months ago. Um, I did a video maybe a couple maybe one year ago at this point. I did a video that I I said to our viewers to send photos from their home >> and people I got a lot of photos actually. People send a bunch of photos with their backyard, their front yard.

[00:06:31]>> Okay.

[00:06:32]>> And most of them add signs.

[00:06:35]>> Yeah. Yeah.

[00:06:36]>> For example, go Camalis. go because Camelis was um going against Trump others that had called Trump something like this you know it's something that we don't see it at all my friends that type of science specific politic but no type of science to be fair >> but the political thing is true I saw a bunch of some people going for the left or for the right but I I >> you have the the freedom to put what is in your mind Okay, you know what?

[00:07:09]>> That's good.

[00:07:10]>> That's good. But in other end, I I was like, man, if your neighbor, let's say >> that I got actually a bunch that said Kimalaris, others that Trump >> and I was thinking, what if your neighbor does not like Camila or what if your neighbor you can create something?

[00:07:28]>> You think you think the neighbor could be offended by that?

[00:07:31]>> I mean, at the end of the day, people have the freedom to to speak to speak and if they believe in one versus the other, that's fine. Mhm.

[00:07:38]>> But uh I mean let's we are all also human in the sense that oh I don't like that guy he likes that you know it happens for sure. So I don't think it should happen because you know we know at the end of the day right but uh >> but yeah it's is something that for sure would create a lot of tension >> if people write that I mean it's crazy not even speaking he's putting a sign in front of your daughter. It's crazy >> my game because I don't have >> but this again this goes for both sides no matter what you know because I I saw a lot that said Trump but I also saw a lot that said Camala.

[00:08:16]>> Yeah of course yeah >> I even saw a couple that said Biden because I think Biden was supposed to run but >> okay >> but then they end up choosing Camala.

[00:08:26]Something like that.

[00:08:26]>> Five like your kids are playing in the street and they obviously weren't familiar with my game because I don't have kids and I don't drive. So, it just prompted me to want to ride around on my bicycle with reckless abandon. Might try it actually and see what people do.

[00:08:43]>> See, but this for sure this video is h this is more Midwest North.

[00:08:50]>> Texas does not have all of those trees.

[00:08:53]I feel like >> But for all of its boring nicities, it's it's a good place to live this. You know, quiet can be good. Quiet can be, especially if you're making YouTube videos, which I commonly am. The only noises you hear around here are that of cardinals and hoses and lawnmowers. But the other word that pops into my head, more so here than I think anywhere else I've lived in the United States, is the word rectangle. And that's because everybody lives in their own little rectangle here, don't they? It's not just the house in which they live. Their garden is rectangular, although admittedly that's usually the same in Britain, but their streets are rectangular. where I live in the Chicago suburbs.

[00:09:33]>> But it's I feel like this is kind of the same everywhere to be fair.

[00:09:36]>> It's just one giant collection of rectangles. In fact, you might even say it's a babushka doll of rectangles because while Cook County isn't itself rectangular, it is surrounded by county.

[00:09:47]>> It's a bunch of rectangles and squares.

[00:09:50]But um I think this happens here. I think Lawrence Lawrence says this all the time that America is about rectangles and squares. Yeah, but I think that's the entire world, not just America. You know, >> it is the same. Yeah, >> there are. And I imagine that within those counties, you have rectangular streets and within those streets, you have rectangular gardens containing American flags, which by their very nature are rectangular and also 14 rectangles plus some stars. It doesn't really matter how you slice it. Here in American suburbia, there's always four sides to every argument.

[00:10:24]>> Oh, so nice. Look, look at the fall colors. Oh, >> so beautiful. And look at the white fans. This is classic American suburb.

[00:10:36]>> It is, >> man. But this is probably rich, you know. If you have no if if you have the white pants.

[00:10:45]>> Oh yeah, right.

[00:10:46]>> You are you are doing well in life.

[00:10:49]>> Am I right, my friends? Or or maybe this is the third time. One impression that those films and American stereotypes in general used to give me is that all of these houses in American suburbia come equipped with a white picket fence. And I have to say, just walking up and down my street, I haven't seen a single white picket fence. Mind you, that's probably because the squirrels ate them all.

[00:11:10]Instead, if you have a >> Nah, there's no way the squirrels.

[00:11:17]>> Okay.

[00:11:18]>> You think the I don't know. Oh, maybe >> it's usually one of those chain link fences that makes you feel like you're in some sort of animal prison or a hell in a cell match, which suddenly starts to undercut this rosy feeling that we're supposed to have about American suburbia.

[00:11:37]>> Yeah, those fences honestly >> I know they are more practical, but the white fences are quite more beautiful than this.

[00:11:45]>> Yes, I agree.

[00:11:50]And you get all kind of knocks at the door, don't you? It's like, "Oh, look.

[00:11:53]Here's one of the neighbors with a massive welcoming cake, and I can't remember her name because she has a massive welcoming cake, and that's all I'm thinking about." I've just remembered I told her to watch my channel. So, if you're watching, cakewoman, thank you for the cake. What's your name? But more egregiously, you'll get those people come to your door saying, "I'm not actually them, but I represent AT&T and would love to do you a deal on, I don't know, solar paneling. I don't know why."

[00:12:21]>> What the is people trying to sell stuff?

[00:12:24]Yeah. You know, >> AT&T does that. They do in my head cuz everything just becomes one jumbled mess of offers that come to your post box or just verbally to your face. And I can't stand it anymore cuz it happens all the time. I'm sure other homeowners are quite familiar with getting letters through your letter box that say, "Oh, big urgent news about your mortgage and you open it up and it's this offer to refinance your house right here, right now. And if you don't do it now, you will spontaneously combust." And sadly, a lot of that literature isn't recyclable. So, it just goes straight in the trash. And the same is true of all of the mortgage related emails and text messages and friend request.

[00:13:02]>> You know what? Advertising in America is pretty wild. Yeah, >> that I think is true.

[00:13:07]>> It's not the same. Yeah.

[00:13:08]>> Yeah. They they really I mean capitalism there is is insane.

[00:13:18]>> And the other thing about American suburbia, the thing that I was most convinced of as a child when I visited Florida in 1990, is that people's yards are just so pristine they look like they came off a movie set. But it turns out at least here in the Midwest that that is completely and utterly a little bit untrue because for the longest time >> ah but this is because the snow it's cold it you know the the the grass cannot sustain it but this in the summer or spring to summer it will look good for sure.

[00:13:50]>> During winter that grass is yellow and looks like it's going to die. But like I said, the sprinklers do turn up around this time of year and suddenly you do see pristine gardens, mostly grass.

[00:14:02]That's mostly what you will see in an American garden is just a big stretch of grass. In England, it's a bit different.

[00:14:09]We tend to have that kind of English garden mentality where we do overload it with plants in a good way. You don't often see that as much here. So, it does all come down to how people keep their lawns. That is >> That's a good point. They don't put a lot of flowers. They they really like the green grass and that's it.

[00:14:27]>> Yeah, they they like simple.

[00:14:30]>> Yeah. Kind of clean. I Yeah, that's that actually this is a really good point.

[00:14:35]>> A culture thing. Yeah, >> it's a culture thing. But if you have a garden, you put flowers, it's become a mess to be fair.

[00:14:44]>> The attractive feature of an American garden. And for the most part, I think that you see gardens here in suburbia that are wellkept. People do mow their lawns, but every now and again, you'll be walking along and you stop yourself in your tracks because you come across this house that's abandoned with just grass that looks like a forest.

[00:15:02]Generally speaking though, that kind of thing is rare here in suburbia just because I think that once it's detected, somebody will want to do something about it. You know, Joe from down the street might just bring his lawn mower and take care of it for free. I would demand payment for that. So, Joe, they're taking you to the cleaners, whoever they are.

[00:15:23]And speaking of houses, this is something that took me by surprise. I've often said on this channel that, "Oh, American houses are absolutely bloody huge, right?" Well, they are, but the there's a varying degree of huggeeness.

[00:15:35]>> Okay, come on. What is this footage?

[00:15:37]>> This is the Okay, this they are big, but not this big.

[00:15:42]>> Because what I found is you could have a midsize house, even a small house on the same street as a mansion down at the end. I mean, that happens on my street.

[00:15:50]If you walk a few houses that way, you >> No. Okay. The thing is it is true that there we saw small smaller homes in San Antonio. Again, we are using San Antonio because it was the city that we spend the most time at. But even what what Americans consider small is kind of the same thing with fast food.

[00:16:14]>> Kind of like our L You know what I mean? So I think there is a really big difference. For example, I thought Mustang Mustang I thought it was a massive car because it is a big car.

[00:16:26]>> It is. Yeah.

[00:16:27]>> I felt I was driving a really small car in America. I was the first time I was driving the Mustang and I saw a track on the on the I saw a track. I was like, "Oh my god, it's like a shadow." Because but this actually happened. I I there was a big shadow the first time I was driving the Mustang and it was a Chevy Silverado or something. I was like, "What the hell is that?"

[00:16:54]>> Come across the midsize houses and I just I don't know how they cope with such little space. I'm joking. This is not a mansion.

[00:17:03]And so since my British friends have been asking, those are some of my >> But let me think. You realize very fast that the Mustang is a small car. is a a small car in the US.

[00:17:14]>> In the US, it is big, but you start to drive, you look at the mirrors and you you realize really fast that it's a small >> observations of what it's actually like to live in American suburbia. By the time summer rolls around, I'll probably have 15 million more observations, so stay tuned for those. In the meantime, I'm going to leave now and take the puppy for a walk and tell him not to jump up at Suburban Sue too much. My name is Lawrence Brown. You can follow me on Twitter at lostinthepond US and whatever you're doing now you just you got to stop it and watch this video.

[00:17:46]Thank you.

[00:17:47]>> Actually, we already watched that one.

[00:17:50]>> Thank you, Lawrence.

[00:17:51]>> Thank you.

[00:17:53]>> The American suburbs. So famous and so nice.

[00:17:57]>> Yeah, beautiful. No, >> beautiful stuff for sure. Say goodbye to our friends.

[00:18:02]>> Bye, guys.

[00:18:02]>> Bye, my friends.