I’ve mentioned a million times once or twice that I am very fond of Postcrossing, which has people all over the world sending postcards to each other. You can choose whether you want to exchange only with people in other countries, or whether you also want to send to your own country, and I have it as also my own country because many of my readers are U.S. readers and I think it would be such a kick if one of us sent a postcard to another of us, without even knowing!
Anyway. I have a big stack of postcards from my own area of the country, since that’s what a lot of people like to receive (you can specify what kinds of postcards you’re especially interested in). But Steph gave me the good idea that I could also be sending cards of major U.S. landmarks, like the Statue of Liberty. After all, when I get a postcard from another country, I’m not enough up on geography to know/care which AREA of the country it comes from: I basically want Well-Known Landmarks of That Country, even if the sender is like, “Um, yes, but you realize many parts of Egypt do NOT have pyramids, right?”
Here is what I am wondering, then: What are the Well-Known Landmarks of the United States to people in other countries? The Liberty Bell? The Empire State Building? Texas? What cartoon characters would be considered U.S.-ish? Would Disney be U.S.-ish enough, or is Disney too international for that? How about Pixar? The Simpsons? Bloom County? Garfield? What artists would be U.S.-ish? Andy Warhol? Um….others?
The Grand Canyon is a famous American landmark in other countries. Hubby and I went there a couple years ago, and most of the scads of tourists there were from other countries!
as someone with family in another country (but I live here!): Pictures of anything in DC. Pictures of NY skyline, Statue of Liberty. Grand Canyon. Hollywood Hills sign. Colorado Rockies. Old diners and cadillacs
Not to forget Las Vegas, Seattle space needle, Niagara Falls… Mt Rainier, Mt. Rushmore… anything that looks like a movieset :p
Well, living in DC… there’s no shortage of typically American things. I’d say the White House, the Capitol, and the Washington Monument are the three biggest tourist attractions.
I’m from Australia.
I’d go with Statue of Liberty, New York skyline, Golden Gate Bridge, yes to Disney, I agree with DC monuments, Hollywood sign, and Vegas.
I know the Liberty Bell is important, because of um … liberty? But not sure it would scream Major US Landmark to me.
But I love postcards, as do – I assume – the people you’re sending them to, so I wouldn’t be complaining about it.
I agree with the other posters. And as far as artists, I don’t know much about them, but I think Ansel Adams is from the US and he does some awesome photography that I think you can find on postcards. But maybe I’m making that up. It’s been known to happen.
I love the idea of American artists – Andy Warhol is very US-ish! And then there’s Jackson Pollack, Grandma Moses, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Mapplethorpe, Ansel Adams, Keith Haring… all of them (and hundreds more I’m sure) have styles that, I would think, are recognizable worldwide.
i second the “movie set” comment above…what about the brooklyn bridge?
if you end up going the artist direction, i bet postcards of dale chihuly & mark rothko would be cool.
Well, the St. Louis Arch, obv!
Also: grand canyon, yosemite/ redwoods, Mark Twain-y stuff, Lewis & Clark-y stuff, Mississippi-y stuff, bald eagle-y stuff, and probably something with turkeys or deer on it.
Oh, and baseball stadiums. Because that’s pretty recognized as a U.S.-y sport, slash Japanese/ Central American/ northern South American too.
I like Erin’s suggestion of baseball stadiums!
You could also find postcards that feature “World’s Largest…” You know, World’s Largest ball of twine in Podunk, USA, or World’s Largest Steer Statue in ND, etc. Just make sure they’re all from the U.S.
(There’s even a coffee table book about this stuff, which I got for my mom because every roadtrip they find one of these things to take a picture with.)
Ok so people already took most of my ideas, so I’ll try not to repeat :) but what about the Golden Gate Bridge? Buckingham Fountain in Chicago?
For icons, go with John Wayne, Disney for sure, the original McDonalds, ummmm something from Grease? I’m stuck now.
Norman Rockwell is an American artist, although of course the pictures would be more vintage. I saw that someone else suggested Ansel Adams, and that is an excellent idea because he is an American artist and he takes photos of American landscapes.
I agree with everybody above and I was also thinking Route 66 and the Americana style stuff from I think the 1950’s. I’m from NY, so I automatically thought about the NYC skyline with or without the twin towers. I lived in FL most of my life though, so I also thought Disney, Orlando, all touristy spots.
I would send DC pictures, any thing from a major city, especially one near you, and maybe one of the coast, like a lighthouse or something, if you want to do major landmarks. I also like seeing photos of more off-the-beaten-path places, too, so I think local things would be nice. Maybe of what the changing seasons look like in your area, since everywhere is different.
So much of my vision of America is straight out of movies so:
Grand Canyon (Fools Rush In)
That place in Washington with the spike like thing and all the water (Forrest Gump and Wedding Crashers)
Empire State Building (Sleepless in Seattle)
Fireworks/anything 4th of Julyish (Doc Hollywood, Sandlot, etcetera),
Mount Rushmore.
Absolutely anything from NYC.
If I think of American landmarks, these are things that immedidately spring to mind: the Statue of Liberty, The White House, the Hollywood sign, a Cape Cod white with red lighthouse, Times Square and Disneyland/world. Also, Target, for we poor Canadians don’t have that particular shopping gem.
I just wanted to say thanks again for the postcrossing link! My family and I have been doing it for a couple of months now and we’re having a blast. I’ve just been sending postcards that have pictures of Texas-y things (rodeos, canyons, skylines of major cities, Alamo), but I really like the idea of sending cards with US landmarks. Another great idea from the great Swistle!
I always thought the “Rosie the Riveter” imagery to be spot-on American!
Yes thank you for opening my eyes to postcrossing! Most of the postcards I receive are from Finland so Im not sure whats up with that? The one that I did recieve from the US had nothing to do with anything really. I think it was just some silly arsty thing. As someone who has never set food in the US I dont know how much of what has been listed I would recognize. I like to send the ones that explain whatever the picture is and its relevance ya know? If it doesnt say on the card, I usually write about it.
Thanks for posting this Swistle. I joined Postcrossing soon after you first mentioned it somewhere, and I am having so much fun with it! I too have wondered if perhaps my Virginia postcards are boring to people in Yugoslavia or Brazil. But then I would feel like such a faker if I sent them an NYC one, since I’ve never been there myself. I have been sending a lot of DC ones and those cards you can get at Borders that have fun art on them.
I’ll be sure to come back and see if there are any other suggestions. Thanks for introducing me to Postcrossing. :) It’s such fun!
I’m a postcrosser, too, in fact I think I learned about it from your blog.
I live in the DC area, so most of the postcards I send are of well-known U.S. landmarks anyway – the White House, Capitol, Washington Monument. As far as other American landmarks – the Golden Gate Bridge, anything in NY, the Rockies, Grand Canyon, – I think national parks are good and also unique to the U.S. How about Yellowstone?
Does anyone know how to get a stack of these postcards without actually visiting?
Whoever suggested Ansel Adams – that is a great idea. You get an American artist and a view of a beautiful part of the U.S.
@ Becky – Robert Mapplethorpe?! That’s practically porn!
@Cherish – I get a ton from Finland, too. I think that is because Finland has the largest number of postcrossers (second to the U.S.) and the Finnish postcrossers are actually more active than the American ones. Lazy Americans! ;)
I hadn’t heard of Postcrossers until this post, but I just started Swap-bot and my first swap was homemade PostSecret type postcards. Very fun.
I really had no idea what some good “USA” stuff was…but I really like the natural landmark stuff, and city stuff that everyone would have seen in US based movies.
You could send a postcard of the Arch (the gateway to the west!) I’m not sure if it’s recognizable to people outside of St. Louis, much less from other countries, but hey, you can find a ton of post-cards on it (probably only in st. Louis.)
It also might be funny to find ones w/ those random road trip landmarks, like the world’s biggest ketchup bottle or fork!
In my neck of the woods of Rhode Island you can get the many beautfiul and historic pictures of Newport and Jamestown, and the lighthouses and bridges. But the best local postcard that I have ever seen from RI has got to be the Big Blue Bug. Seriously…google it. Big, Blue, Bug.
When I visited France, I got a ton of questions about Native Americans. So I think postcards along those lines would be good.
Don’t forget Mount Rushmore too!
@ Rachel – Not all of his stuff is borderline obscene! He did GORGEOUS flower photography as well! Perfectly safe to send without putting it in a plain brown wrapper first! http://www.mapplethorpe.org/flowers.html
When I went to France this summer, old-fashioned glass Coke bottles, old cars, diners… very 50’s-esque things seemed to exemplify America best. I agree that the NY skyline, Statue of Liberty, and the White House are also good ideas!
You guys! I love these ideas so much!
Cherish- Isn’t that strange about Finland? They do, like, 1/4th of ALL Postcrossing postcards.
Have to agree with Missy – I’m not sure I’d know the Liberty Bell if it jumped up and bit me… Also agree with the other commenters – I’m British, living in the south of France, and for me typically American would be stuff you see in films – Empire State Building, Mount Rushmore, the White House, the Hollywood hill thing, the Grand Canyon… The Golden Gate brigde is stunning, too.
What about you guys – what would be typically British or French (the south, not Paris) for Americans?
I’m english and live in the uk.
Typically USA stuff would be – white house, statue of liberty, golden gate bridge, yes to disney – particularly micky mouse, grand canyon, um…. dusty looking places with cowboys on horses…
I’m afraid I’m not entirely sure what the liberty bell is :-o
I heard a story where an American in Europe encountered several people who assumed just because he was an American, he would be toting a gun. I thought it was pretty funny that someone thought everyone in the U.S. is packing. You could send an NRA postcard ;)
But seriously, I love some of these ideas! Sports icons (baseball, football, basketball), Hollywood walk of fame, cactus, New Orleans, Pike’s Place in Seattle, palm trees, fall foliage in the Rockies, old fashioned farm houses or barns, a southern plantation house…
I think it’s nice to send things that don’t ring as iconic USA, to remind the people that you are sending the card to what a vast country we are, and it’s not all McDonald’s and Disney.
Just my 2 cents.
OMG. I was mentioned in the main body of a Swistle post! SCORE! I feel all special and tingly.
I think I told you the landmarks I thought of already…when I sent you some “American” postcards to use. LOL. But yes… Washington, DC stuff, New York City sights, Golden Gate Bridge, Hollywood sign, Texan symbols… all very American. Postcards with lots of American flags and American flag decor too?
Are the postcards I sent you holding up? Or is the pile starting to dwindle?
Anonymous- When I think of Britain I think of castles, good china, afternoon tea, rain, scones, old churches, Big Ben, and royalty. When I think of France, I think of….well, just Paris. But basically long loaves of bread, cafes, Eiffel Tower (I know, it’s Paris!), Deux Magots, filigree, gilt, high fashion, perfume.
I’m a New Zealander who lives in Australia so I can help a little…
Liberty bell-no
Empire state building-yes
Texas-no (no special appeal over any other state anyway)
All cartoons are too worldwide to cound so that’d be a no except if its specifically Disneyland
American Indians-yes
Cowboys-maybe
Other landmarks…
Statue of liberty-yes
Grand Canyon
Niagra Falls
Whitehouse
Mt Rushmore
That’s about it lol. Cute idea with the postcards!
I was getting a postcard from the US, it would be nice to see an image that wasn’t already totally familiar from thousands of movies. I’d much rather see a picture of something local to you!
Mount Rushmore. That’s as All American as you can get, though I may be biased b/c I’m from that area….
I love the idea of Postcrossing so much! I hope it keeps going strong for a while, I’d love to do it with Harper but feel like she wouldn’t totally get it yet.
Where are you getting your postcards? The only one’s I’d be able to find here would be of the local (and not particularly famous) area.
no one else knows who lewis and clark are. Maybe Davy Crocket. But things like Coke, NY city and probably nevada desert would also be good.
Just my perspective from New Zealand, would be impressed if you knew any of our landmarks.
I just signed up! I have meant to when you posted about this before, but haven’t followed through. This is so cool!
My first postcard is on it’s way to Finland!
Kelsey- I’m getting postcards from Hallmark, Barnes & Noble, Borders, and a little souvenir shop. But now if we go ANYWHERE (museums etc.), I’m getting POSTCARDS.
Clare- It’s so tempting to impress you via cheating. Okay, the only thing I think of for New Zealand is…sheep.
NZ – easy, rotoroua, sheep, kiwi (bird and fruit) err.. ok now I’m stumped!
How about landscape pictures, how many of us have seen the fields of grain? Amish postcards are great too. Somebody mentioned the fall foilage of the rockies…….covered bridges. I agree, with whoever said pictures of stuff you don’t see everyday in the movies. Show the otherside of America
We send cards from our area or from places we visit. I’d really rather have cards local to the particular postcrosser, but I think the point in one of the early comments about not knowing the particular geography is true.
It’s easy to buy cards on Ebay. I like mapcards and am trying to get all 50 states so I’ve been know to bid on those.
We LOVE postcrossings. It’s so much fun :)
When I think of the states (being a northern neighbour), I tend to think of places I’ve been: Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone, Niagara (though it is WAY better on the Canada side, the horseshoe falls are CANADIAN!! :) ). Las Vegas is great, there are many shows that I would love to see there (Cirque du Soleil…). Lake Havasu is wonderful, they have the original London Bridge. The deserts in Arizona are gorgeous. There are a few places that I would still like to see, mostly Hawaii, Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and the Disneys. Hope this helps! :)
Hi Swistle, I am also a Postcrosser and while I like getting local US cards, it’s also great to get the famous landmarks. Here are some of my ideas (just in order of appearance on my mind): Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty, the hills of San Francisco, the White House and DC in general, the Grand Canyon, Gettysburg or a view of a suburban street with trees and kids (not sure if that exists, but it would be awesome if it did). Liberty bell I think is good, you can educate people about it :) And any President cards and old-time celebrities (Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable…). For artists, I’m thinking Edward Hopper, John Singer Sergent (sp?), Grant Wood and also Andy Warhol. That’s just some ideas from me (I’m in the Czech Republic), I obviously have no idea of all these cards exist… Anyway, good luck and happy PC!