When we think about a place, we most likelly think about its natural beauty, its historical landmarks, perhaps the architecture that makes it unique from other places. But one thing that we do not consciously think about much is the type of business that make up a place (though I would suggest we do think about it, unconsciously, almost all the time).
For example, if you were looking through pictures, you would never mistake small-town Alabama for New York City. Small towns have certain types of business that one would never find in New York City, such as a geographically-based dollar store . . . and vice versa, such as street vendors selling thin-crust pizza.
Where would you expect to see this?:
That's definitely not New York City. I was surprised to see this business a few years ago while travelling through Alabama. We had one of these dollar stores in the town I grew up in. But I had not seen one for many years.
Same with this:
This was also in a small town in Alabama. Made me laugh because I used to work at one of these in high school.
Pictures like this cause you to think of a certain type of place, one that would never be mistaken for a different type of place. That does not make one type of place necessarily better than another type; it simply distinguishes it, makes it unique, makes it different. That is what's wonderful about travelling, being exposed to all kinds of different places. At worst, travel can bring out the ethnocentricity in all of us, causing us to feel superior to others who might be a bit different than us, who live in a different setting, with different circumstances. But at best, it can help us see that we are all part of one big family, here on Planet Earth, with many similarities . . . and also a few differences sprinkled in to give life some flavor.
The following photo does not really do much . . . except show an Alabama restaurant chain that has really good food:
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