(((I Will Outlive)))

There's a stereotype that USAmericans tolerate very long car rides.

op I think you may have wildly underestimated american's car tolerance

Where I grew up it was pretty common to take a 45m+ car trip for groceries. If you couldn't deal with being in a car for an hour, you'd have Problems.

I would take regular trips as a kid/teen over 3+ hours down to the shore (and for any of my non-American friends. That is 3+ hours driving down to the shore IN MY STATE. I live in the northern part, the shore is in the southern, and we went almost all the way as south as you can go. 3+ hours of driving and all in one state... Based on my experiences with friends from Europe in the past, this fact has consistently gotten me a "huh?" face from them) and that's about normal to me.

A drive from the airport back to my partner's place, when I go to visit, takes upwards of 5 hours, depending on traffic.

Honestly I just. Headphones and daydream. Or chat!

“Nobody’s going to want to sit on high-speed rail for fifteen hours to get from New York City to LA.”

Me. I will sit on high-speed rail for fifteen hours. I’ll sit on it for days. I’ll write and read and nap and eat and then do it all over again. I’ll stare out the windows and see America from ground level and not have to drive. I’ll see the Rockies and the deserts and cornfields and the Mississippi River and your house and yours and yours too. I’ll make up stories in my head about the small towns I see as we go along. I’ll see the states I’ve yet to see because driving or flying there is a fucking slog and expensive to boot. I’ll enjoy the ride as much as the destination. And then I’ll do it all over again to come the fuck home.