America

In many ways, America is Canada's future. Reasons:

• • America is typically seen as older than Canada

  • America is way bigger than Canada

  • America's culture is of a higher intensity than Canada's

Things that I've seen in American but don't really see in Canada (yet!):

• • at a food court restaurant in San Francisco, I ordered a burger and fries. Instead of a receipt with my number on it, they gave me essentially a beeper. But it had lights and it vibrated and had a speaker so it sort of talked to me. It "went off" when my meal was ready. It meant I could go somewhere away from the restaurant (more valuable minutes to consume in the mall?) and be summoned to pick up my meal

  • panhandlers are at least somewhat innovative

    • one came up to me with a soda cup, expecting money, and just said, confidently, "Thanks man!"

    • another, on Fisherman's Wharf, had part of a tree and pretended to scare the tourists from behind it. African-American, he said, to some laughter, "I'm your worst nightmare: a black man behind a bush!" Is this guy famous? He must do that every day, like the guy in Vancouver who says "can you buy a beer a bum?"

  • signs, everywhere, many there so as to disclaim legal responsibility. Signs are prevalent in Canada too, but nothing like Canada.

    • maximum occupancy on the front of businesses (California law?)

    • sign above the doors saying that they must be unlocked during business hours (also California law?)

  • Chinese along with Spanish and English on the automated "the front seats are for seniors" announcements

    • why Vancouver doesn't have Chinese on its official signs and in announcements I don't know. French is the law, so that won't change, but Chinese is practical for the region.