Their room was on the 21st floor—high enough that people and cars looked like toys. Music was playing in the room, and we had almost finished unpacking our suitcases. Each of us took turns checking what was happening outside the window—and it wasn't that we didn't know what the weather was like, what time of day it was, or where our hotel was. It was just that the combination of yellow taxis, these 4 people on the 21st floor, a different time zone, and the Brooklyn Bridge nearby filled us with such wild excitement that we didn't want to wake up.

-We're like in an American movie!

-Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing!

-Look, there's an American flag waving on the building next door, and crowds of people always in a hurry down below...

-How cool is that!

-Shall we have breakfast first?

-Great idea, and then off to Central Park!

We all sometimes think we know everything about everything: for example, what America is like. In part, we are all right about something. And those posters familiar to everyone's eyes, taken at The Top of the Rock with the famous Empire State Building in the center and skyscrapers reaching into the sky—all of this is so familiar to us, yet in reality, it is completely distant and unknown. It's like in the best atmospheric American movies. And when you take out your Polaroid to take that coveted photo of the high-rises around Central Park, or stand in Times Square, or catch a glimpse of a yellow school bus, walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, and spot the small Statue of Liberty in the distance, you think it's impossible! It must be some kind of mistake. Friend, how did you end up here? All yesterday's dreams suddenly come to life, and you feel this happiness, everything is so wonderful that you refuse to believe it, as if some invisible joy tax collector will notice that too much celebration has fallen on you and take it away. So you continue to walk in a hazy state, but even that passes...

There is nothing more pleasant than when stereotypes crumble in your head, and you start looking at things with a completely new perspective. You could write another 5 pages of printed text about how you can't believe your eyes, or you could tell something very interesting and useful. Being super-romantic, we really want to choose the first, but we also love interesting things, so let's get started.

You guys are funny, of course, claiming you know America if you've been to 2-3 states. The first and most important rule is: don't draw conclusions until you've traveled to all 50; let's call this fact #1. And it's true, it's completely different to visit Maine in the north or go to Illinois and California. Each state is unique and distinct in its own way: for example, you might notice that there is significantly less Black population in the north, people in the south are more laid-back, and in different states, you sometimes even notice a difference in dialect. But that doesn't mean one place is worse or better; every spot is interesting in its own way, and you take something of your own from each. But quite a few Americans I happened to talk to joked about some states and listed them as their least favorites: Texas, Kansas, Louisiana, and some others. It can also be noted that quite a few native residents sometimes have never left their home state, or have only been to a couple of others.

Flowing smoothly to fact #2, I want to say that the impression of America was largely formed by the people we met: from sudden strangers to people who later became our friends. The encounters were completely unpredictable: some would sit down when we were sitting with cups of coffee in the park, some would eagerly participate in choosing a salad dressing; I immediately remembered the taxi driver who gave us a free ride from the airport to the hotel, and what about our incredibly caring employer...? The list is endless. You can say a lot about the people: yes, they are smiley, as we are used to hearing. It is absolutely normal to smile at a passerby. If you have just flown into America, it's your first day, and there is a big question mark drawn on your forehead, and the word "help" is shining in neon light on your chest, maybe we are lucky, but before we even have time to ask people, about a dozen people offer their help, assisting with a suitcase, explaining how to get to one place or another, and so on. And that was insanely cool!