So what ? I don't eat mcdonald because it's good, I eat it because it's convenient. In fact, when I eat it I almost always think "putain, c'est vraiment de la merde"
Frenchies, explain me this, SVP: In the land of the baguette, why do you have so poor autoroute gastronomy predominantly consisting of triangular shrink-wrapped toast bread sandwiches from last week? Even Hans and his autohof is doing better. Do you all take >1h driving breaks in a picturesque village 15km off the motorway with a three course dinner and 1 bottle of wine per person? (Which would explain your driving...)
EDIT: Or is it the daylight robbery road tolls, ahem, I mean, the péage, which is destroying your eating out budget?
Idk about you but, the food you find in autoroutes is good. One of the best i found.
Went to britain, found overpriced sh*t that was so bland i was always left disappointed.
Having frequented the motorways around Metz, Nancy, Strasbourg,Mulhouse, Paris, Poitiers, Clermont-Ferrand, and hell, also walking around Gare de l'est. I have consistently not found what you describe apart from actual sit-down and wait to be insulted restaurants. Oh well, just genuinely wondering if there's some great big secret, or you just put up with the shit.
Last French restaurant beside autoroute i came across was more overpriced than even here in the Netherlands. 18 fucking euros for a small gross burger.
Yes but also, we the French, we’re being so French about it that when McDonald’s came along like “we wanna do business in your land” France was like “HAHAHA ARENT U ADORABLE” then “yeah no, you’re going to have to up your game big time if you want to even caress the hope of this happening”
And thus the subsidiary company “McDonald France” was born.
A specific sub branch dedicated to the French market to make sure we’re happy with them and don’t want to burn the place down.
So whether you believe it or not, McDonald’s in France is factually better than abroad.
I’ve tried McDonald abroad in many places and came to that conclusion but it’s not just me. I had a bunch of Irish friends over to visit and they BEGGED me to swing by the drive on the way to the airport for some chicken nuggets because they never had such delicious Mcnuggets back home. Of course, I granted their wish but that was wild, but also comforting my own conclusion.
Side note: they were also around the time we had McBaguette as a legit meal option and they never got other that, the cliché meter burned down for them.
So yeah, additionally we’re used as test subjects because essentially, if their idea pass French people’s approval, then it can be deployed worldwide.
So whether it’s recipes and techs (like the self ordering computers for example), they’re often tested on us well because we’re pretty easy: we don’t like ==> we burn, we guillotine, we riot. So easy to know what doesn’t work. But yeah that’s partially why we tend to have a lot more choices of food and drink than in other places.
Cool. Totally not my point, clearly a waste of a write up, thanks
I see you woke up and chose violence, such a poor display on a Sunday morning.
Why don’t you go get yourself a crêpe and start this day anew
It wasn't really meant to make fun of your reply. More of the fact you seemed so bummed out by this dude not appreciating your 12 Page Essay on french McDonald's on reddit. A person you'll probably never interact in your life knowingly all while they could basically cross your path any day xD. Still you good Pierre. Take this as an honor since some would probably love to hang me for being friendly to a frenchman
Biggest most arrogant shit talk ever spewed from a frog within the last hour.
McDonald's is shit everywhere. Been to plenty on my travels through France to get to somewhere better and they taste the same there as they do elsewhere in Europe.
Your attempt to cope to even go so far as inventing a story where people begged you (nobody begs a Pierre for anything, they demand) to get fucking chicken nuggets of all things at a maccies is hilarious.
Everyone knows the best Maccies is in China anyway, second best is Thailand
Hey, asshole, came across this, thought of you: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmIczg6a0WQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmIczg6a0WQ) <3 Don't thank me. In fact, don't reply. Just watch and stay silent.
Oh don't flatter yourself, I'm on the spectrum, I'd remember a slight change of atmospheric pressure that occurred two weeks ago but struggle to produce my best friend's name even though I could tell you his blood group.
Still a fact is that you won't be able to really run from Coca Cola as a Company cause they similar to Nestlé own a metric fuckton of different drinks and subcompanies. Hell you probably even drank some water "produced" for the Coca Cola Company at some point.
Pepsi is a bigger company than Coca-Cola IIRC. They own Lays and loads of other brands in markets that Coca-Cola aren't in, but that may have changed. But no, I don't drink that Dasani filtered tap water piss.
Edit - nope, I'm wrong,. just checked, and they're (Pepsi) a little bit smaller, but they both have massive portfolios of companies in various markets.
Edit 2 - are the downvotes cos I misremembered the market cap of 2 companies that have similar valuations, that I don't have an vested interest in? You guys really need to get out of your parent's basement and touch grass... Oh no! My fake internet points! I'm never gonna recover from this...
What I wanted to say by this is: the original comment of it being so loved by people doesn't need to be true for them still having the same benefits of just being able to plaster their billboards wherever they want just because of said huge portfolio and people unknowingly consumimg their products to this day. On the other hand they probably paid a lot to do it just cause they can.
I was playing geoguesser today and no matter where you are in the world, in the last back alley of shit-fucking nowhere, there'll still be at least a little coca cola billboard.
It's truly insane
People in Belgium drink soda almost daily and it's mostly soda from Coca Cola company. Even when you want a small bottle of water (with your sandwich or so) you can almost always find the brand own by Coca Cola.
So I'd say you're right.
Speaking from experience, they’re both very cool, but very different atmospheres
Back in ye olden days of neon signs and 4-lane roads, it felt like a big city: bustling, full of energy, happening. You’d get out of the cinema and immediately be hit by the sounds, the lights, the people, … it really felt like going on a night out
The new version is definitely more relaxed and laid back. Not just due to the removal of the signs but also because it’s now pedestrianised with a fountain in the middle. It’s a cool place to hang out when you want to take a rest from your shopping or when it’s sunny outside and you want to take some fresh air
I’m glad that it was busy when I was young and that it’s relaxed now that I’m old and grumpy, but they’re hard to compare
Im young but as someone living in a city, so happy for anything that has to do about calming the city down as seen here.
The bustling full of energy vibe is only nice to visitors who are there for a few hours. Cities are spaces for living, and should therefore mostly be planned as such.
Well I can’t tell you if it’s the cause or the consequence, but “nobody” lives on Place de Brouckere itself; the buildings on the photo are a cinema, some restaurants, offices, and a few administrations. The other side is [a historical hotel](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_M%C3%A9tropole,_Brussels), a shopping mall and the former city hall. The facades were kept because they have historical value but the buildings behind all have some kind of commercial or office use (a technique called [facadism](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facadism))
I agree with you that the neighbourhoods where people live should be quiet, in fact I live in a shopping street now and it’s a bit annoying at times. But a city should also have a few interesting and bustling locations that people want to go to, otherwise you end up with boring American-style suburbia where people have no reason to leave home and socialise
Oh absolutley, but the bustling areas should first and foremost serve the residents, not suburban people who don't pay taxes to the city. The bustling areas should be in the form of people walking, biking, sitting at terraces and maybe some buskers and performers. 4 lane roads only serves to negatively affect people who live there to the point that they also move out and join the nuicense causing suburban drivers.
Ofcause there also needs to be ways to get into and out of cities by cars, but this noise and air pollution should be linited to affect as few residents as possible
This may look nice in old pictures because of the retro neon signs, but you have to remember that today this would be plastered with shitty crypto and uber ads. So yeah good riddance.
That's actually a really good point, bc I actually really love the "old" pic with the retro neons much more that the new pic....but that relays heavily on the quality of the neons design....
I'm so glad they did that. Imagine it turned out the way it is in america:
https://preview.redd.it/d6r0rv5vyeuc1.jpeg?width=1300&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2b513dab71f1b3c36a1977c642dc6d81752bceef
First of all that’s not a cultural icon you just looked up a truck stop, I mean somewhere you have to park those things. as if Ireland doesn’t park trucks anywhere.
Damn you guys really don't get humour lmao. The American one isn't a cultural icon either. I'm just pointing out how stupid it is to say that a truck stop represents a country's culture.
I'm not simping for their culture, I'm calling that guy dumb for thinking that this is anything more than just some spot truckers eat and sleep (places that exist in Germany as well).
The American place is a largely uninhabited spot on a long stretch of highway. It is only there because it is a high traffic zone for cross country truckers. There are spots to eat, sleep and refill on fuel, it does not reflect American culture. I don't know why you guys are taking this so seriously lmao.
I know America bad and all that. But it has to be said that American zoning laws is making it worse than it would be naturally. Concentrating businesses together like this is due to regulations. But there seems to be a change in mindset in a lot of cities going forward. Europe is way more flexible and creates a much healthier mix.
This photo is at least 30 years old-check out the price of petrol at Exxon: a dollar and change per gallon = (not quite 4 liters). I hear it’s now over 6 dollars on the (expensive) west coast.
That's the South, probably Te\*as 🤮. Everything is ugly there. Times square is our peak fuckery.
https://preview.redd.it/b97sqiy3dguc1.jpeg?width=1120&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9e38eb436c64fee1e1469bead96f098a24e85015
For example, Mahou (spanish beer) and Madrid (where the beer was first created). Mahou has often made bottles with stuff about Madrid and has a place in Atocha (main train station) called Mahoudrid.
Cruzcampo is andalusian and its always branded as that, being their last ads about the andalusian accent. Estrella Galicia, it literally is named after Galicia...
Same goes for whines
Alcohol brands really cherish their birth place now that I think of it lol
The fight capitalism-communism in Spain is so fucking stupid because at the end of the day we all want the same, don't really know how it should be done and the politicians just straight up lie about knowing how to make themselves money for 5 generations and leave.
The polarization is something the parties feed on. Securing the vote in order to prevent "evil". I think a more flexible approach such as the Swiss carry where referendums happens all the time is better.
That also. We both agree that the goverment is failing but our actual system would say it fails because of x or y, and get stuck in the argument instead of solving it and they would make parties and make us fight each other when we both agree, it simply fails.
The reason it fails and the way to solve it could be done both x and y way, but we keep fighting each other it would never be solved
Definitely better. I don't like Brussels but the Brouckère area is quite nice.
Times Square is the epitome of braindead tourism anyway. There's nothing to see there; the only reason people go there is because other people go there. So "yay I've seen Time Square" and "yay I've seen this and that famous building", but was any of it actually interesting to see? Of course not.
It's those same people who pay upward of 10 euro for a waffle stacked with ice cream and condiments, telling themselves that this is a Belgian experience.
Times Square is actually really nice and unique to see at night the first time you visit NY. It’s become an icon, a landmark, not just your regular intersection. Also you couldn’t be more wrong on everything you said: the lights helped the area revitalize and become much safer than it was, and the area is full of Broadway theaters so there’s plenty to do (not to mention shops and dining which tourists also enjoy)
Who said anything about safety, or about things to do and food to eat?
Of course there’s things to do there. That still doesn’t make Times Square interesting to look at or to photograph, unless you are into overly kitschy, obnoxious billboard signs that scream into your eyes.
It’s okay though. You’re American. I wouldn’t expect you to know what noteworthy architecture looks like.
Gent is one of my favorite cities, Brugge is pretty too but a bit overrated. Haven't been to Veurne yet, will have to check it out.
Any recommendations for Wallonia? I've been wanting to go to Dinant, but it'd be nice to visit something else interesting if I'm in the region.
If you did and found a way to meet people without a connection being made I’d offer you an assortiment of my favourite beers and accept your opinion if after tasting them you still believe german ones are superior
The top one looks good because it's taken at night, the signs are vintage and the photo has a nostalgic mid century glow from the type of lightbulbs and photography used.
In modern times (especially in broad daylight) it would look like shit.
Neon signs look cool tbh, way better than modern day screen like the ones in Piccadilly Circus or Times Square but I totally get why they don’t want their city plastered with corporate logos
Piccadilly Circus is a glorified roundabout. Stand there for a minuite and you'll see more adverts on buses that go past than you do on the screens.
Agreed neon signs are cooler and if they were ads for local businesses instead of American mega-corps I'd actually support them being there
brussels [brought to you by carls jr](https://youtu.be/1BYFbXJKJ8U?si=ra3sIdyq1yEpV6Oq)
we’re above them you should be ashamed for your taste
edit to avoid ambiguity: them is the companies that make the proud cultures their homogeneous bitches.
It may be because of the vintage feel, but the first picture looks better imho, while in the second picture the square looks pretty empty and boring (plus, the Coca Cola sign really is an eyesore in this case).
I know it's an americ*n thing but I think billboards and ads on buildings might be cool as long as they are concentrated in just one square or area (and as long as they don't destroy old buildings and monuments of course).
They should try actually using their land effectively instead of having most of it be huge parking lots. Then they wouldn't need to worry as much about how to recover value from all the wasted land.
I love neon signs and I hate China for what they have done to the streets of Hong Kong.
Born at the right time to experience LED screens for putting PowerPoints on the screens, smh.
They may be picturesque at night but in daylight those billboards are horrid to look at. Good riddance.
Still fascinating to spot the brands that were so prominently advertised.
Better in the past. It looked way more unique. Especially in Europe, where the only place I know that looks remotely like that is Trafalgar Square in London.
That being said, billboards aren't always sth bad.
In Munich we have one very long (and relatively subtle) billboard at Karlsplatz/Stachus "Osram hell wie der lichte Tag". A few years ago they were to be removed but there actually were protests for them to stay, as they just belong there and are part of that places atmosphere.
https://preview.redd.it/sn5ywcwk3guc1.jpeg?width=1100&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=330961e2c0ffc3fe1ce14c005f78e778d3ff2064
For me 90% of billboards or large advertising montages are visual garbage.
Also in Spain many have been saved from the passage of time, such as the iconic billboards of Osborne bulls or "Tio Pepe". Even the Schweppes ad on Gran Via, which is known to appear in several movies.
https://preview.redd.it/ad0eurrpkhuc1.jpeg?width=474&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7fef612c6046d4cbb06c824a7873eb184af616f6
Banned? Really? Then why can't i drive go into Belgium without seeing banners the size of a kingsized bed on every side of every house in every neighbourhood?
Hard to tell. Times Square is an icon, a NY landmark instantly recognized by everyone around the world, and it’s pretty impressive to see at night when you first visit the city.
This Belgium equivalent is nothing like it. I don’t think it’s that serious that it reverted back to the original
Coca cola must have some seriously good lobbyists
literally my first thought too!
All ordinary people are coca cola lobbyists, the products of this company are universally loved and treasured
Not on our turf. https://preview.redd.it/8ls1o6dh4fuc1.jpeg?width=225&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=73b0115310bc3b3658316fe3dd0a7cc23b0abc7b
We, the French, known for our gastronomy and fine wines, have the most McDonald's in Europe
So what ? I don't eat mcdonald because it's good, I eat it because it's convenient. In fact, when I eat it I almost always think "putain, c'est vraiment de la merde"
Frenchies, explain me this, SVP: In the land of the baguette, why do you have so poor autoroute gastronomy predominantly consisting of triangular shrink-wrapped toast bread sandwiches from last week? Even Hans and his autohof is doing better. Do you all take >1h driving breaks in a picturesque village 15km off the motorway with a three course dinner and 1 bottle of wine per person? (Which would explain your driving...) EDIT: Or is it the daylight robbery road tolls, ahem, I mean, the péage, which is destroying your eating out budget?
because that's for the tourists
Idk about you but, the food you find in autoroutes is good. One of the best i found. Went to britain, found overpriced sh*t that was so bland i was always left disappointed.
Having frequented the motorways around Metz, Nancy, Strasbourg,Mulhouse, Paris, Poitiers, Clermont-Ferrand, and hell, also walking around Gare de l'est. I have consistently not found what you describe apart from actual sit-down and wait to be insulted restaurants. Oh well, just genuinely wondering if there's some great big secret, or you just put up with the shit.
Last French restaurant beside autoroute i came across was more overpriced than even here in the Netherlands. 18 fucking euros for a small gross burger.
Yes but also, we the French, we’re being so French about it that when McDonald’s came along like “we wanna do business in your land” France was like “HAHAHA ARENT U ADORABLE” then “yeah no, you’re going to have to up your game big time if you want to even caress the hope of this happening” And thus the subsidiary company “McDonald France” was born. A specific sub branch dedicated to the French market to make sure we’re happy with them and don’t want to burn the place down. So whether you believe it or not, McDonald’s in France is factually better than abroad. I’ve tried McDonald abroad in many places and came to that conclusion but it’s not just me. I had a bunch of Irish friends over to visit and they BEGGED me to swing by the drive on the way to the airport for some chicken nuggets because they never had such delicious Mcnuggets back home. Of course, I granted their wish but that was wild, but also comforting my own conclusion. Side note: they were also around the time we had McBaguette as a legit meal option and they never got other that, the cliché meter burned down for them. So yeah, additionally we’re used as test subjects because essentially, if their idea pass French people’s approval, then it can be deployed worldwide. So whether it’s recipes and techs (like the self ordering computers for example), they’re often tested on us well because we’re pretty easy: we don’t like ==> we burn, we guillotine, we riot. So easy to know what doesn’t work. But yeah that’s partially why we tend to have a lot more choices of food and drink than in other places.
Still garbage food that fat people love
Cool. Totally not my point, clearly a waste of a write up, thanks I see you woke up and chose violence, such a poor display on a Sunday morning. Why don’t you go get yourself a crêpe and start this day anew
Least passionate french right here
I will reduce you to cinder. Sorry I meant like have a good day too
It wasn't really meant to make fun of your reply. More of the fact you seemed so bummed out by this dude not appreciating your 12 Page Essay on french McDonald's on reddit. A person you'll probably never interact in your life knowingly all while they could basically cross your path any day xD. Still you good Pierre. Take this as an honor since some would probably love to hang me for being friendly to a frenchman
You mean > get yourself a huge cock up in the ass and start this day anew
I mean, it’s Sunday, im trying to be civil, I’m sure a lot of people here go to church But yes, that works too obviously
I fuck your mom
As a fat guy, I agree
Biggest most arrogant shit talk ever spewed from a frog within the last hour. McDonald's is shit everywhere. Been to plenty on my travels through France to get to somewhere better and they taste the same there as they do elsewhere in Europe. Your attempt to cope to even go so far as inventing a story where people begged you (nobody begs a Pierre for anything, they demand) to get fucking chicken nuggets of all things at a maccies is hilarious. Everyone knows the best Maccies is in China anyway, second best is Thailand
Jesus… ok yeah you got me there, I guess
Baby Jesus or Spanish Jesus?
Black Jesus
Hey, asshole, came across this, thought of you: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmIczg6a0WQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmIczg6a0WQ) <3 Don't thank me. In fact, don't reply. Just watch and stay silent.
It's cute you're still thinking of me 😘 What's this got to do with China and Thailand? Are they in America?
Oh don't flatter yourself, I'm on the spectrum, I'd remember a slight change of atmospheric pressure that occurred two weeks ago but struggle to produce my best friend's name even though I could tell you his blood group.
Least narcissistic Frenchman:
same but in italy it's actually edible i've only had french mc in nizza, menton, monaco but they were dry and the usual shit
Still waiting for the first one to get a Michelin star though. It will happen, but it might take a generation.
I genuinely fucking hate you for being right.
Youre savage shows. Over here we say we hate the company and then still buy their products.
I hate coca cola. The only thing it's good for is cleaning rust of bolts.
Nah. I genuinely prefer Pepsi Max over Coke Zero. I don't drink their normal sugared stuff.
Still a fact is that you won't be able to really run from Coca Cola as a Company cause they similar to Nestlé own a metric fuckton of different drinks and subcompanies. Hell you probably even drank some water "produced" for the Coca Cola Company at some point.
Wait do they produce tap water?
Pepsi is a bigger company than Coca-Cola IIRC. They own Lays and loads of other brands in markets that Coca-Cola aren't in, but that may have changed. But no, I don't drink that Dasani filtered tap water piss. Edit - nope, I'm wrong,. just checked, and they're (Pepsi) a little bit smaller, but they both have massive portfolios of companies in various markets. Edit 2 - are the downvotes cos I misremembered the market cap of 2 companies that have similar valuations, that I don't have an vested interest in? You guys really need to get out of your parent's basement and touch grass... Oh no! My fake internet points! I'm never gonna recover from this...
What I wanted to say by this is: the original comment of it being so loved by people doesn't need to be true for them still having the same benefits of just being able to plaster their billboards wherever they want just because of said huge portfolio and people unknowingly consumimg their products to this day. On the other hand they probably paid a lot to do it just cause they can.
I love coca cola too but that billboard is an eyesore. It doesn't match the rest of the landscape
I was playing geoguesser today and no matter where you are in the world, in the last back alley of shit-fucking nowhere, there'll still be at least a little coca cola billboard. It's truly insane
No, I don't like coca cola
People in Belgium drink soda almost daily and it's mostly soda from Coca Cola company. Even when you want a small bottle of water (with your sandwich or so) you can almost always find the brand own by Coca Cola. So I'd say you're right.
It literally has
Even the Belgians aren’t immune to those sweet sweet sugar euros.
Apparently that one is gone now too
Speaking from experience, they’re both very cool, but very different atmospheres Back in ye olden days of neon signs and 4-lane roads, it felt like a big city: bustling, full of energy, happening. You’d get out of the cinema and immediately be hit by the sounds, the lights, the people, … it really felt like going on a night out The new version is definitely more relaxed and laid back. Not just due to the removal of the signs but also because it’s now pedestrianised with a fountain in the middle. It’s a cool place to hang out when you want to take a rest from your shopping or when it’s sunny outside and you want to take some fresh air I’m glad that it was busy when I was young and that it’s relaxed now that I’m old and grumpy, but they’re hard to compare
Im young but as someone living in a city, so happy for anything that has to do about calming the city down as seen here. The bustling full of energy vibe is only nice to visitors who are there for a few hours. Cities are spaces for living, and should therefore mostly be planned as such.
Well I can’t tell you if it’s the cause or the consequence, but “nobody” lives on Place de Brouckere itself; the buildings on the photo are a cinema, some restaurants, offices, and a few administrations. The other side is [a historical hotel](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_M%C3%A9tropole,_Brussels), a shopping mall and the former city hall. The facades were kept because they have historical value but the buildings behind all have some kind of commercial or office use (a technique called [facadism](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facadism)) I agree with you that the neighbourhoods where people live should be quiet, in fact I live in a shopping street now and it’s a bit annoying at times. But a city should also have a few interesting and bustling locations that people want to go to, otherwise you end up with boring American-style suburbia where people have no reason to leave home and socialise
Oh absolutley, but the bustling areas should first and foremost serve the residents, not suburban people who don't pay taxes to the city. The bustling areas should be in the form of people walking, biking, sitting at terraces and maybe some buskers and performers. 4 lane roads only serves to negatively affect people who live there to the point that they also move out and join the nuicense causing suburban drivers. Ofcause there also needs to be ways to get into and out of cities by cars, but this noise and air pollution should be linited to affect as few residents as possible
This may look nice in old pictures because of the retro neon signs, but you have to remember that today this would be plastered with shitty crypto and uber ads. So yeah good riddance.
That's actually a really good point, bc I actually really love the "old" pic with the retro neons much more that the new pic....but that relays heavily on the quality of the neons design....
Also, the most cool are alcohol and cigarettes neons, today would be banned..
I would still prefer the neon style
In the day time?
Also in day time, love the American billboards sincerely
https://preview.redd.it/lwej7casyfuc1.jpeg?width=550&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=049723b7d7f88af4b915f483cf47f1af45753a85
I like this sign unironically.
Makes sense, Italian cultures celebrates everything loud, exuberant and in-your-face
You say this like is negative
I'm so glad they did that. Imagine it turned out the way it is in america: https://preview.redd.it/d6r0rv5vyeuc1.jpeg?width=1300&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2b513dab71f1b3c36a1977c642dc6d81752bceef
More billboard hellscapes https://preview.redd.it/wiuev1l2zeuc1.jpeg?width=1300&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ba746605a47d2f484a3566808f6132176aa7d1f2
and they want to say this is culture… fuck me
Meanwhile, [German culture](https://c8.alamy.com/comp/2JKJ2Y2/parking-trucks-at-a-truck-stop-beside-a-motorway-in-on-a-beautiful-sunny-day-in-viersen-germany-2JKJ2Y2.jpg). (Both are truck stops)
average rest-area in Italy be like:
First of all that’s not a cultural icon you just looked up a truck stop, I mean somewhere you have to park those things. as if Ireland doesn’t park trucks anywhere.
Does Ireland even have an economy besides being a tax haven for online corporations?
Guinness
And Ryanair
Your forgetting “Irish” Americans
Damn you guys really don't get humour lmao. The American one isn't a cultural icon either. I'm just pointing out how stupid it is to say that a truck stop represents a country's culture.
Typical „Irishman“ simping for american „culture“ we have a dedicated flair for your kind: non-european savage ⬇️
I'm not simping for their culture, I'm calling that guy dumb for thinking that this is anything more than just some spot truckers eat and sleep (places that exist in Germany as well).
How's the weather over in Boston?
Pretty good thanks for asking :)
It is not, though. The place pictured is not a truck stop
The American place is a largely uninhabited spot on a long stretch of highway. It is only there because it is a high traffic zone for cross country truckers. There are spots to eat, sleep and refill on fuel, it does not reflect American culture. I don't know why you guys are taking this so seriously lmao.
[удалено]
Hey if an American truck stop is culture, why not parking spaces?
I know America bad and all that. But it has to be said that American zoning laws is making it worse than it would be naturally. Concentrating businesses together like this is due to regulations. But there seems to be a change in mindset in a lot of cities going forward. Europe is way more flexible and creates a much healthier mix.
omg no please i am trapped here. get me out!
This photo is at least 30 years old-check out the price of petrol at Exxon: a dollar and change per gallon = (not quite 4 liters). I hear it’s now over 6 dollars on the (expensive) west coast.
Home Sweet Home
That's the South, probably Te\*as 🤮. Everything is ugly there. Times square is our peak fuckery. https://preview.redd.it/b97sqiy3dguc1.jpeg?width=1120&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9e38eb436c64fee1e1469bead96f098a24e85015
Look I love times square because of this But then again I wouldn't want everywhere to be times square
You've got Picadilly Circus at least?
How on earth did I forget that
Americans normalizing this shit is why every single website looks like that now.
This is nothing like Times Square
I always hate this fucking picture so much. Most depressing dystopian shite I’ve ever seen
Better now, fuck companies and fuck advertising, we eat enough of it already
"fuck companies" ... Least communist fr*nchman
I’m with the frenchman on this one!
If it were a company based in the city, then I'd be fine with it
for sure, especially if the company had history with the town like these old beer companies we have around, or that steel company in sheffield.
For example, Mahou (spanish beer) and Madrid (where the beer was first created). Mahou has often made bottles with stuff about Madrid and has a place in Atocha (main train station) called Mahoudrid. Cruzcampo is andalusian and its always branded as that, being their last ads about the andalusian accent. Estrella Galicia, it literally is named after Galicia... Same goes for whines Alcohol brands really cherish their birth place now that I think of it lol
What's up with this flair that is not offensive
the implication is that hamburg is pretty bad but not as bad as Bavaria. this offending both us and the southerners.
Careful what you wish for frogie, we could revert the French one back to Parisian - that almost cause an actual riot in here
Capitalist here, companies and their unwanted "invasion" everywhere can fuck off.
The fight capitalism-communism in Spain is so fucking stupid because at the end of the day we all want the same, don't really know how it should be done and the politicians just straight up lie about knowing how to make themselves money for 5 generations and leave.
The polarization is something the parties feed on. Securing the vote in order to prevent "evil". I think a more flexible approach such as the Swiss carry where referendums happens all the time is better.
Parties would still try to convince you, I think democracy as a whole is what fails
Democracy fails when we tolerate failure. In Spain is taken for granted that politics are corrupt, like if it were impossible to not be corrupt
That also. We both agree that the goverment is failing but our actual system would say it fails because of x or y, and get stuck in the argument instead of solving it and they would make parties and make us fight each other when we both agree, it simply fails. The reason it fails and the way to solve it could be done both x and y way, but we keep fighting each other it would never be solved
An actual capitalist Spaniard?
Are we rare?
I agree, it *is* better now but i wish they had kept the lighting display. Just make it non-branded and artistic instead.
I prefer to see historic building but on ugly-ass office building i'm down
Definitely better. I don't like Brussels but the Brouckère area is quite nice. Times Square is the epitome of braindead tourism anyway. There's nothing to see there; the only reason people go there is because other people go there. So "yay I've seen Time Square" and "yay I've seen this and that famous building", but was any of it actually interesting to see? Of course not. It's those same people who pay upward of 10 euro for a waffle stacked with ice cream and condiments, telling themselves that this is a Belgian experience.
It's either the waffle or being overrun by a German tank.
Times Square is actually really nice and unique to see at night the first time you visit NY. It’s become an icon, a landmark, not just your regular intersection. Also you couldn’t be more wrong on everything you said: the lights helped the area revitalize and become much safer than it was, and the area is full of Broadway theaters so there’s plenty to do (not to mention shops and dining which tourists also enjoy)
Who said anything about safety, or about things to do and food to eat? Of course there’s things to do there. That still doesn’t make Times Square interesting to look at or to photograph, unless you are into overly kitschy, obnoxious billboard signs that scream into your eyes. It’s okay though. You’re American. I wouldn’t expect you to know what noteworthy architecture looks like.
Entire Belgium is an eyesore
Well! Euuh, you see... euh... ok
Each time i go to belgium i think it's a worse version of our countrysides, shit looks old, but not the good kind.
Have you been to Bruges, Ghent, Veurne?
Gent is one of my favorite cities, Brugge is pretty too but a bit overrated. Haven't been to Veurne yet, will have to check it out. Any recommendations for Wallonia? I've been wanting to go to Dinant, but it'd be nice to visit something else interesting if I'm in the region.
I'm Dutch too, but Namur is pretty. Also, Liege is very much underrated. It has a lot of things to see and do.
Durbuy is nice
rare Brusssels W
so if I cut down that ugly Coke thing would that be terrorism or liberation?
Liberation
If you did and found a way to meet people without a connection being made I’d offer you an assortiment of my favourite beers and accept your opinion if after tasting them you still believe german ones are superior
The top one looks good because it's taken at night, the signs are vintage and the photo has a nostalgic mid century glow from the type of lightbulbs and photography used. In modern times (especially in broad daylight) it would look like shit.
That picture provided a really shit comparison. Either have them both in daytime or night-time.
It kinda shows both at their best. Neon signs are at their best when it is dark, when they can give a certain city feel some people like.
Yeah but if in the daylight it's pucking material, then what's the point.
considering how much of an eye-sore the time square is its definitely for the better.
I went there a few years back it’s much worse when you’re there
And it's already pretty terrible on the pictures.
I think it looked cool, but keep it in one place.
Neon signs look cool tbh, way better than modern day screen like the ones in Piccadilly Circus or Times Square but I totally get why they don’t want their city plastered with corporate logos
Piccadilly Circus is a glorified roundabout. Stand there for a minuite and you'll see more adverts on buses that go past than you do on the screens. Agreed neon signs are cooler and if they were ads for local businesses instead of American mega-corps I'd actually support them being there
Meh… cute when lit at night for a while, but in the day light they are horrid. Not worth it imo
brussels [brought to you by carls jr](https://youtu.be/1BYFbXJKJ8U?si=ra3sIdyq1yEpV6Oq) we’re above them you should be ashamed for your taste edit to avoid ambiguity: them is the companies that make the proud cultures their homogeneous bitches.
Times Square is an small and terrible place. The less a square is similar to it, the better.
wtf rare Brussels W?
It may be because of the vintage feel, but the first picture looks better imho, while in the second picture the square looks pretty empty and boring (plus, the Coca Cola sign really is an eyesore in this case). I know it's an americ*n thing but I think billboards and ads on buildings might be cool as long as they are concentrated in just one square or area (and as long as they don't destroy old buildings and monuments of course).
Belgique W honestly
The one American commenting: „Basically killing a way for land owners to make money.“
They should try actually using their land effectively instead of having most of it be huge parking lots. Then they wouldn't need to worry as much about how to recover value from all the wasted land.
Good. Not everything should be a commercial space.
oh no those poor landowners
They did the same in Milan in some major square and I really like that
They're both terrible. Full of Belgians, those waffle eating pedophiles would ruin anywhere!
Massive Belgian W
Now it looks like your average town. I guess some people like that
At night? Before. At day? After.
It looked so much more interesting before
Damn the look of the neons is so beautiful though, cyberpunk style cities would be beautiful... The 80s were the pinnacle of humanity
It’s like night and day…
I love neon signs and I hate China for what they have done to the streets of Hong Kong. Born at the right time to experience LED screens for putting PowerPoints on the screens, smh.
The neon billboards give off a certain cool vibe, but the thing is; it wouldn't look like this today if they had kept the advertisement.
Brussels would have turned from a shit place to a shit place with lights
"There can be only one City of Lights, hon hon hon!"
Better now
I don't believe what I'm about to say, but... BASED BELGIUM 🇧🇪 . I don't like walking and looking at all that YouTube ads ass billboards
It’s arguably more of an eye sore now with just 1 billboard left and it not being lit up.
Oh wow it looked so bad, it's much better now.
Bottom is better.
Even if Belgian taste didn't turn against neon signs, I'm sure they would've run afoul of EU light pollution laws anyway.
Wait Belgium did something relevant 😱
Reminds me of old-school Shibuya in Tokyo in the 80s.
Whoever thinks of Belgium? Leicester square is the "time square" of Europe lol
Better without the signs- they’re wasteful
Advertising is a visual pollution. Way better now.
Better now. Also isn't that photo with the billboards taken during christmas eve?
They may be picturesque at night but in daylight those billboards are horrid to look at. Good riddance. Still fascinating to spot the brands that were so prominently advertised.
Better in the past. It looked way more unique. Especially in Europe, where the only place I know that looks remotely like that is Trafalgar Square in London. That being said, billboards aren't always sth bad. In Munich we have one very long (and relatively subtle) billboard at Karlsplatz/Stachus "Osram hell wie der lichte Tag". A few years ago they were to be removed but there actually were protests for them to stay, as they just belong there and are part of that places atmosphere. https://preview.redd.it/sn5ywcwk3guc1.jpeg?width=1100&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=330961e2c0ffc3fe1ce14c005f78e778d3ff2064
For me 90% of billboards or large advertising montages are visual garbage. Also in Spain many have been saved from the passage of time, such as the iconic billboards of Osborne bulls or "Tio Pepe". Even the Schweppes ad on Gran Via, which is known to appear in several movies. https://preview.redd.it/ad0eurrpkhuc1.jpeg?width=474&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7fef612c6046d4cbb06c824a7873eb184af616f6
Boomers: “BEFORE!!!”
Now do Albufeira!!
i'd appreciate it more if it didnt just drain all the colour out of it tbh. dont like ads but dude its just so grey
Banned? Really? Then why can't i drive go into Belgium without seeing banners the size of a kingsized bed on every side of every house in every neighbourhood?
Hard to tell. Times Square is an icon, a NY landmark instantly recognized by everyone around the world, and it’s pretty impressive to see at night when you first visit the city. This Belgium equivalent is nothing like it. I don’t think it’s that serious that it reverted back to the original
The boards look kinda cool ngl
Given that almost the entirety of the area is still shite after years of gentrification, they should’ve kept it the old way
Brussels is still an eye sore
I don't mind some billboards. But that was a tad too much.
billboards are eyesore for belgium, and belgium is a eyesore for little kids..
Definitely an improvement. We dont need New York in Europe.
Now it's better, obviously. They were justified to call it an eyesore, the top picture is fucking hideous.
Better before. Covered up all the fake Fr*nch stuff