From a raw cultural perspective, it strikes me how commercially uniform the country became: outside of enjoying differences topography and pre-homogenization (what remains of walkable old towns), I deeply don’t find much of a compelling reason to travel within the country due to how damned cookie cutter it feels.
I am sufficiently concerned about this trajectory (among a suit of other more significant concerns) to aim to get a second citizenship for my family.
If you love nature, America is still one of the best countries to travel in. It has some of the most magnificent natural places and is massive, so even if you're driven away from popular parks because of overtourism, there are many less popular places that are amazing.
Unfortunately, the camping plans for my visit were severely hampered by wildfires, which looks to be a permanent fixture of the American west going forward.
The pace of homogenization might have increased because technology greatly enables it. If you want a product just type “best whatever’s” into Reddit or wire cutter or consumer reports and you can have thousands of people’s experiences distilled down within minutes. Same thing for food and travel.
Do I want to take chances on various stores owned by various owners sourcing goods from various places?
Or do I want to get my sister a gift from Target, where if she does not like it, she can go home and return at the Target near her home.
The supply chain issues are also real and seeing bare shelves, empty car lots, throughout the duration of my visit was disturbing.
I noticed a significant decline in the quality of service at many businesses. The labor shortage is apparent, and many service workers seemed not to care about their work, which reflected in their attitudes towards customers.
On a personal level, I felt that people were less friendly and, more worryingly, less respectful. The public cursing everywhere I went was really unattractive.
I'm sure some of this is that I have been changed by living in East Asia, where people tend to be more polite (if not friendly) and focus less on the individual than the group. But I don't think it was just me 100% either. I believe the increased politicization of just about every subject is a part of this.