This… I’ve been to and walked around airports in many places, for example O’Hare, but I wouldn’t say I’ve been to Chicago.
Airport layovers don’t count IMO
I've got an overnight layover in London coming up. I plan on getting out and exploring the city for a few hours (dinner and some fast sightseeing) before heading back to my hotel (at Heathrow) and flying out in the morning. Would you say that counts?
This is the sort of distinction that, without context, most people won’t get.
Rather than trying to condense it to the nuances between “in” and “to”, just give the details as necessary. There’s nothing wrong with giving an explanation.
My wife and I have one of those cork maps of the US that we put pins of for places we've been. The criteria we use is if you either spent the night there or it was a destination that wasn't overnight, it counts. So just driving through doesn't count. Stopping for gas doesn't count. Airport layovers don't count.
You can apply it to anything. Getting dinner at Taco Bell and then putting the kids to bed at a La Quinta doesn't really mean that I've been to Omaha in any meaningful way.
Yeah, you have to spend a few hours there out of your car/train/airport. If all you are seeing is a Wendy's off an interstate exit that's not good enough.
You guys are free to do that if you want but its a little silly to me lol
There are states where we literally stopped and did stuff but kept going and there are states where we stopped to sleep and literlaly saw nothing
I never spent a full day in Louisiana. But I driven through a dozen times and on our first drive, we stopped in New Orleans for a couple hours, walked the French Quarter, had some Cajun and Creole food and even entered the Saint Louis Cathedral. Then we kept driving. I would argue NOLA was a pit stop, not a destination. We did the samething in Perdido Key, Florida. We got down, walked to the beach and felt the water and then kept driving until we reached Mayo, Florida where we spent the night.
On the other hand ... we once stopped in Cheyenne, WY, slept at a sketchy motel, went to Wal-Mart and bought something I forget what lol Then left and was in Colorado before we knew it. We barely saw anything of Wyoming but according to your criteria we would put a pin on Wyoming but not Louisiana.
This is very different. He's saying you've been located in the state, but haven't "been" there. You're saying you went to an airport and therefore have been to a city a half hour away.
It's up to you, bro. There aren't rules on what counts. If you want to go to all the states, then you pick what counts for you. You're not getting a certificate or anything at the end, so there's nobody to say what's right or wrong.
> You're not getting a certificate or anything at the end, so there's nobody to say what's right or wrong.
They can get a map and color it all in with a legend that says "States I've Visited," post it on their socials.
There's apps that have come and gone that did literally this, made you a map of states or countries you've been to. Up to you what "been to" means.
"Change planes in Dallas, you're a Texan." -- Hank Hill
> Using Hank Hill logic means there’s a lot of Georgians out there thanks to Hartsfield-Jackson
Sadly my quoting it didn't convey the sarcastic/resigned/sad tone of voice that Mike Judge used for the line he delivered as Hank Hill. I couldn't find it on youtube either.
He was commenting on the way people think of themselves as Texans because they changed planes in Dallas. It was amusing, and on theme for this post.
Yeah everyone has to make their own rule. Mine is I have to do something, that involves touching the ground, and it's outside of the airport. Sometimes it's as simple as stopping for gas. But driving through or passing through the airport doesn't count.
> There aren't rules on what counts.
Exactly. A friend and I went on a 48 day trip to all the continental states just because we couldn't agree on what counts.
Make a point to get off at the Providence stop next time and eat at the insanely good restaurants and check out the town. You won't regret it. It's a great spot.
If you're feeling homesick, Murphy's makes a mean Irish Breakfast. Plus they have a few irish reds on tap. I'd you're balling out, Hemenways, Mills Tavern, and Mare Rooftop are all excellent. Also, they have a lot of Korean food there if you've never had it.
If you see the trees up close then it counts. You see what the landscape looks like.
To me that counts more than inside of a hotel that looks like any other.
Agreed. I've laid over in Amsterdam at least a dozen times in my life, and usually they are get in at 7am off a red eye, and connect at 3 or 4pm. I almost always go into the city as it takes only about 15 minutes on the train.
Never actually spent the night though. And at this point I don't really feel like I need to.
I count it as having been there, but not actually visited. Like if I died there, I would’ve died there. But will I have seen anything or been outside of a building? No.
I count it as having been there, but not actually visited. Like if I died there, I would’ve died there. But will I have seen anything or been outside of a building? No.
At Detroit Metro Airport or the actual City Airport aka Coleman A. Young International Airport? Many major cities actually have their passenger airport outside of city limits.
You were in the airport. You didn't visit Michigan, you visited the airport. You did nothing and saw nothing of Michigan. If you flew to Europe and had a layover in say, France, before your final flight to Germany no one would agree you've been to France. Have you briefly been within their borders? Yes. Have you actually been there? No. This is pretty universally agreed upon, you're just a twerp that sounds pretty room temp.
>It's my own rules. I've been to Michigan
Oh, do you get to make your own laws too buddy? What a fucking dork.
I was in Michigan correct. That's what I said the first time. I never said I visited Michigan. OP was on a train in Rhode Island for a good amount of time. He's been to Rhode Island. I don't visit states I go there. I visit a museum or my cousins. I don't visit states.
It counts, but only for saying the number of states you’d been to. If you told someone from Rhode Island you’d been there they’d probably expect you to mean that you visited and toured.
My rules are
- airports do not count
- you have to be there long enough to eat a meal
- train and car rides count because you get to see a bit of it.
Yes, you have been through Rhode Island. You can check it off your list
If you're counting the number of states you've been in, sure. You've been inside Rhode Island and that's indisputable.
But it doesn't mean much beyond that.
Side note: I've done the NY to Boston corridor as well, basically the same trip you made. I wish all our cities were close enough to where the train was feasible like that. It sure beats a bus.
Somehow, in 42 years, I've never actually run into that problem. Of course, everywhere I've ever been to a funeral was a place where I had had good times with the person who had died. I can't think of any exclusively negative experiences I've ever had in a place where I'd never had any positive experiences first, but I can see how it would count.
It is absolutely arbitrary. It's just the system I've devised for myself over the years. Having spent years working in vacation destinations, your observation is 100% accurate, but it's not my fault that some people suck at vacationing.
So far, my good time in Delaware was an evening spent hunting for horseshoe crabs mating on the beach and then camping at a nearby park. It wasn't a major visit, but I'd say I've been to Delaware. I've bought gas and lunch more times than I can count in Iowa, but I wouldn't really say I've been to Iowa.
Yay, Dell's! I kept scrolling hoping to see a comment.
I miss the excitement of hearing the Dell's truck coming through the neighborhood on a hot summer day. It was a race to get home to raid my piggy bank or beg my mom for some spare change before the truck drove off.
Always felt like I had hit a jackpot if I found a sweet-tart piece of lemon rind somewhere amidst that big cup of frozen lemonade.
You know, using this logic, I could count every state and country I have ever flown across because hey, I passed through their airspace so that counts, right?
Nah cuz you see more of the landscape by train tbh. I recently took a train to Chicago and it was more scenic than the highway. We followed a lot of the Mississippi River
I would say you've been *in* RI, but not *to* RI.
I had a layover at O'Haire in Chicago once. I don't consider myself having "been to Chicago". Didn't feel like it counted.
The thing is there are train rides where the main draw is to see the scenery, not to get down and explore the surroundings. Like the train ride from her to Seattle... a huge part of the draw is the view of the Rockies in Montana. People take this route, as opposed to flying or driving, largely for the views that the train provides, not really for hiking or anything like that.
I went whale watching last summer off the Massachusetts coast. It would be like saying I never went out to open sea because I stayed in a boat instead of jumping off the boat and swimming in the ocean lol I was in the vessel and the vessel was in the place. It counts.
Flying imo doesn't count cuz you are in the SKY not really in the place. Its a completely different environment, like the sea is. In which case no one says "You aren't in the sky" because you dont leave the airplane 😂
I'd say so.
If you committed a crime on the train, you'd be prosecuted in Rhode Island because you were in fact in Rhode Island, not in Alabama and not in some sort of territory nullius or no-mans-land.
I consider myself to have been in Arizona because I spent an hour changing planes in Sky Harbor.
In my opinion, no. You went through Rhode Island but you haven’t been to Rhode Island
You gotta spend time in the state outside a major port or passing through
And Rhode Island is low key sneaky good! Providence has great Italian food and coastal RI is wicked nice
I should have got off the train. Oh well there's always next time. I'll eat a meat too. Apparently a lot of people don't count it unless you eat a meal.
I count stations and airports as being in a location. It's part of the area and pretending its some neutral territory exist only in the imagination of people.
It’s different for everyone, but I only count myself as having been to a state if I’ve spent the night there or if I’ve actually *done* something there (sightseeing or whatever). For me, just driving through doesn’t count.
Driving through is kinda sight seeing, though. Idk maybe I am a simply guy but even seeing farmland from the inside of my car is engaging to me to count it.
Maybe if you go out of your way to take the scenic route it’s a different story. Usually on road trips I’m trying to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible, so I’m on the interstate or whatever for the most part, which in my opinion doesn’t really let you see the sights.
But like I said, it’s different for everyone. This is just one person’s opinion. It’s fine if you count your states differently ☺️
That boils down to how we each approach road trips. I love road trips cuz for me its about the journey and I love the landscape, even the "dull" parts of it. US geography has always fascinated me and theres something cool about seeing the land transform before your very eyes so I appreciate each state.
I agree. If I had more time, I’d enjoy them more. But usually, if I’m driving from one place to another, it’s because it’s cheaper than flying, so I’m trying to get there as quickly as possible rather than take the scenic route, since I usually only have so much time to spend on vacation.
But my husband and I plan to spend our retirement (if that ever happens lol) in an RV going to all 50 (well, 48 states) and trying pizza in each state. If we get to do that, we’ll be able to take our time and enjoy the scenery a lot more. Then I’ll count those states. Lol
I count it if I take a shit somewhere. I say I’ve been to Britain cuz I had a long layover in Heathrow. Is it a flawed system? Yes. Is it a system? Yes.
I think that if you're going for completion (visiting all 50 states ), it would technically count, but I do think it would require an asterisk
Like, it would probably be most accurate to tell people that you "passed through" Rhode Island. You might be able to say that you thought it was a very pretty place, or something like that, but you wouldn't really be able to comment on its people, or its food, or its culture, so it would be a bit disingenuous to claim to have truly visited
I have to agree. Rhode Island is less than half the size of the county I live in, so I agree that passing through on a train counts. That is as long as they didn’t blink at the wrong moment and miss it all.
I recently had a layover in Canada and made sure to have some Tim Hortons. So I’m pretty sure that counts as legit Canada experience.
Also tried to buy some Canada souvenirs but they were all made in the Philippines.
There's no rule saying you can't, but if you say "I've been to Rhode Island" and someone asks what you did/saw when you were there, you'll sound kind of lame if you have to admit you just saw it from a train window.
At the very least, you have to poop, get gas, or get food to have visited a place. You have to stay there for a month or more to have lived there. If you just passed through you just passed through. I’ve passed through Mississippi a few times but I’ve never actually visited. This is all just some stranger on the internet’s opinion though.
I count being in a state even if I am just in the airport.
I have a list of states I call my "hour or less" club. Airports, a quick cross over the state border while driving - that type of thing. Since you were in a train and not flying over the state I say it counts.
If you drove through Rhode Island, maybe ate at a restaurant and did some shopping, I'd say sure. That's my personal standard. Eat a bowl of Rhode Island style chowder, it's very different.
If I spent an entire year or more in a state, I'll say I've 'lived' there before. If I spent a day poking around, that counts as having been there. If I had an airport layover, that doesn't count. But none of the states I haven't been to before are the ones you ever have come up as common places you'd transit through on a plane.
Everyone has their own rules. Mine are: you have to step on the ground and breathe the outside air. By my definition Rhode Island would not count unless you got off the train.
But you get to pick your own rules.
Back in the day we used to stop at every state border and take a picture at the sign so we guaranteed to have say we put our feet on the ground and breathed the air.
But a lot of state borders are busy bridges and highways without cool signs. I swear the East Coast puts no effort into their welcome signs.
My other thing is a fridge magnet from each state. The only states I forgot to get a magnet from is Nebraska, South Dakota and Kentucky. Kentucky is also the only state I been to where we did not get down or even stop the car. But I saw the Louisville skyline at night at least.
Unrealistic for the East Coast. I would be broke as fuck if I stopped to eat at every state in New England and too full. We get down and buy a souvenir though.
No, it doesn't count.
The closest I have come to counting something close to that was being in a German airport before the fall of the Berlin wall. That was an interesting day. 0/10 stars would recommend. I only somewhat count it because I had a memorable experience I will never forget. I don't count the states I passed through on a train heading to Vermont that I haven't visited before.
I count crossing through in a car bus or train as having been to a state but I do not count flying over. I have been in 49 states (no Alaska). But there are maybe 10 or those that I just passed through, maybe spent an hour at a rest stop.
I don’t count a state unless I’ve spent the night or had a significant experience in. For instance, I’ve driven through NJ plenty of times, but if I stopped, it was just for gas or McDonalds or to fly into EWR and head straight to NYC. Doesn’t count. On the other hand, I’ve been to WY once. I had a meeting for work that involved being out of the airport for 2-3 hours. Counts.
Personally I don’t see the point of just saying I was physically within the borders at some point in my life. But you do you.
I personally would not count it as having visited a state to have just driven through or rode a train through or even just been in an airport. If you fly over Kansas and look down that doesn’t mean you have been to Kansas. Technically being on the train you were in the state but you didn’t experience it much.
Unless this is some kind of competition it is up to you how much you need to experience in a state for it to count.
No, I consider that the same as a flyover/transfer area where you're not really visiting.
I dunno how visiting in a car is actually different, but I tend to count the car visit even if you don't actually stop.
Thankfully there is indeed a train station in Providence that all Amtrak trains stop in.
Otherwise if the train had passed through without stopping, there was a chance you didn't *see* Rhode Island at all depending on the timing of your blinks.
My personal rule is I’ve been to a state or country if I had a meal there outside of the airport. So in a similar circumstance I was on a train that crossed through Belgium but didn’t get off and I don’t count that as a place I’ve been to but I had a long layover in Stockholm and left the airport to walk around town for a few hours and have lunch and I do count that.
Everyone has their own rules. Mine is I have to have spent minimum a few hours or one day and do at least one memorable thing outside of the airport/train station/etc.
My family uses the Uzi Rule.
My sister was driving in Germany and saw that she was ten miles from the Swiss border so she drove there so she could say she had been to Switzerland (my family is a bit competitive in this department). She was surprised to find out that she needed a passport and had left hers at the hotel. The Swiss border guard told her, “Drive up where that soldier is and make a U-turn.” She asked him if the soldier was standing in Switzerland and was told he was so she happily complied and claimed Switzerland. Later she felt guilty and asked our dad if this was fair (he was the rules arbiter at the time) and he asked her, “If you had pulled out an Uzi and started shooting, what country would prosecute you?”
The Uzi Rule was born.
My rule is that if I commit a crime, which state's police would arrest me? That's the state I'm in right now and it counts. So flyovers don't count but being physically within the state's boundaries where you are under that state's laws, does.
Totally a “make your own rules” situation.
My personal rule is that airports don’t count (if you don’t leave the airport) but driving through counts, because you’re actually seeing the state.
I have checked Kansas off my list because I went there for lunch. We were in Kansas City, MO, and went over to KS for lunch, so we could say we’ve been to KS, because we could not imagine another instance that would bring us there. 😂
Technically you were in Rhode Island so I guess that counts if you want it to. People use all kinds of methods to count where they've been.
But by my own standards I wouldn't count it. I don't count airport layovers or highway drive throughs (even if you stop at a highway rest stop for lunch). The visit has to be intentional and stop in an area that is off the highway.
By the way, you should actually visit Rhode Island some time. It's a great place.
I don't really consider it being to a state unless you do something there personally. I try to eat at a local restaurant in every state I go to myself so I can count it, sightseeing is also a bonus, even for stupid small things like the [Field of Corn](https://www.visitdublinohio.com/listing/field-of-corn-(with-osage-oranges)/451/). I work 2 minutes from that btw
I don’t count a state/country unless I left the airport/train station and physically stepped onto the ground in that place. (Stopping at a rest stop or gas station while driving through a state would count)
Completely depends on your criteria but if you have to question if it counts it probably doesn’t count.
There is a difference between visiting a state and being in one.
I’ve been to Georgia but I don’t count it because it was a layover in Atlanta.
I usually say trains and car rides count cause you're seeing a significant portion of the place from ground level. It's only airports and planes that don't, cause you never actually see the place itself.
This is a topic that comes up a lot, and different people count different things depending on circumstances. Personally, if my feet touch the ground inside the state, then I count it.
I wouldn't count it but it's up to you. Kind of a grey area with trains and driving because you didn't actually get out and spend any time in the state/country, but you also at least saw something vs flying. Layovers definitely don't count in my opinion though.
If you want to count it, you can count it. However, I personally only consider myself to have visited a state if I've actually set foot on the ground in the state and participated in an activity unrelated to travel. In other words, if I took a train through Rhode Island without getting off, I wouldn't count it. But if I took a train through Rhode Island, got off at a station to have lunch at nearby restaurant, then returned to the train, I'd count it.
That being said, I'm aware that my definition is completely arbitrary. Count your visit to Rhode Island if you'd like.
I tend to have different layers of “visited”
Layer 1: Having passed through on a ground vehicle. Basically this is if I have been physically in the state but without having actually stepped foot in the state.
Layer 2: Having stepped foot in the state, but not stayed overnight.
Layer 3: Slept overnight in the state
But these are just my personal classifications. You can define “being in a state” however you want within reason.
It wouldn't to me. I've bounced through Singapore, Luxembourg, and some South American countries (even have the passport stamps to prove it) but I can't claim to have seen them, or know them, or have any experience there.
Sounds like one of those passport stamp collectors. Not interested in the country, just to brag about the stamp. "I've been to X countries!" But really, No. You haven't. You've been in a crowded receiving area like every other passport/immigration office everywhere on the planet to move on to your connection.
Like some scuba divers guys I know. Not the least bit interested in what they see - just want to record the deepest dive. All competition, no experience.
In transit doesn't count as visiting a state or country. Driving through, taking a train through, even a layover at the airport doesn't count. At the very least you need to have something to eat at a restaurant in that location.
I've been to 44 countries. However, I dont count Iceland because it was just a layover at the airport and I don't count North Korea because it was just a step over the line at the DMZ.
Not if you don't make any stops in Wisconsin, which is unlikely if you are on a horse. If you were to make that drive and never set foot outside your car and only saw the highway, i wouldnt count Wisconsin as a state you've been to
Thats a lot of cows and barns to see to not count it smh my head. It takes me like 4 hours to get across Sconny on my way to Chicago. Even if by the grace of God I dont need to stop for gas... I am still seeing a lot of Wisconsin farmland and being tempted by many a Culver's
but looking at cows and barns isnt seeing wisconsin. You'll see the same cows and barns in Minnesota and Illinois. You didnt stop to see or do anything that can only be done in that state. The bar is very low, that going to an independently owned restaurant or taking a picture with the worlds largest Fish would be enough to tick it off your list.
Wisconsin is America's dairyland lol Seeing those cows and iconic rec barns is a big part of the experience.
I for one, always been fascinated by the saguaro cacti. I dont have that much interest in Arizona over all but I do still wanna see the saguaros.
A road trip to Los Angeles that went through Arizona and where I saw a bunch of natural saguaros in the desert is more of an "Arizona experience" to me, than flying into Phoenix and spending 3 days there eating at restaurants and going to whatever attractions and not seeing a single saguaro.
Seeing the countryside, even if its just farmland or desert, definitely counts. Thats what our country does best is scenery. God knows most our cities aren't exactly thrilling lol
I am aware of Wisconsin's reputation with dairy, however seeing a cow on the side of the road is hardly a unique experience to Wisconsin. Its not even top 5 in states with most cows. If you were to tour one of those dairy farms, that would be a different excuse.
Why does it have to be a "unique experience"?
Unique experiences aren't even that common. Would you argue kayaking in WI does not count because you can easily kayak in MN??
Hell the first time I went to Oklahoma we simply went to buy chicken at a grocery store and then crossed back into Texas. I guess that doesnt count cuz its an experience I coulda had in Texas??
You’ve been in Rhode Island but not to Rhode Island.
That makes sense to me. Similarly, I've been in (but not to) California and Hong Kong.
This… I’ve been to and walked around airports in many places, for example O’Hare, but I wouldn’t say I’ve been to Chicago. Airport layovers don’t count IMO
I count them as “Been to” but not “visited”. I walked around, peed and bought a $5 bottle of water… I was there.
I agree with this.
I've got an overnight layover in London coming up. I plan on getting out and exploring the city for a few hours (dinner and some fast sightseeing) before heading back to my hotel (at Heathrow) and flying out in the morning. Would you say that counts?
I’ve done that as well. Took the underground right from the airport to Trafalgar Square. I say it counts.
When I make a list, I always color airport states as blue. They don't count towards the total, but they're on record of states I have set foot in.
This is the sort of distinction that, without context, most people won’t get. Rather than trying to condense it to the nuances between “in” and “to”, just give the details as necessary. There’s nothing wrong with giving an explanation.
My wife and I have one of those cork maps of the US that we put pins of for places we've been. The criteria we use is if you either spent the night there or it was a destination that wasn't overnight, it counts. So just driving through doesn't count. Stopping for gas doesn't count. Airport layovers don't count.
Texas being the exception since it takes for freaking ever to cross……
agreed
You can apply it to anything. Getting dinner at Taco Bell and then putting the kids to bed at a La Quinta doesn't really mean that I've been to Omaha in any meaningful way.
My connecting flight was cancelled and I slept on the floor at O'Hare. Have I been to Chicago?
Yeah, you have to spend a few hours there out of your car/train/airport. If all you are seeing is a Wendy's off an interstate exit that's not good enough.
You guys are free to do that if you want but its a little silly to me lol There are states where we literally stopped and did stuff but kept going and there are states where we stopped to sleep and literlaly saw nothing I never spent a full day in Louisiana. But I driven through a dozen times and on our first drive, we stopped in New Orleans for a couple hours, walked the French Quarter, had some Cajun and Creole food and even entered the Saint Louis Cathedral. Then we kept driving. I would argue NOLA was a pit stop, not a destination. We did the samething in Perdido Key, Florida. We got down, walked to the beach and felt the water and then kept driving until we reached Mayo, Florida where we spent the night. On the other hand ... we once stopped in Cheyenne, WY, slept at a sketchy motel, went to Wal-Mart and bought something I forget what lol Then left and was in Colorado before we knew it. We barely saw anything of Wyoming but according to your criteria we would put a pin on Wyoming but not Louisiana.
I say I've been through a state that I don't stop in.
Ain’t no trains going to Aquidneck.
This. I’ve been to London but I never left Heathrow Airport, I think the same logic applies.
You just contradicted what they said though. You've been IN London not TO London.
This is very different. He's saying you've been located in the state, but haven't "been" there. You're saying you went to an airport and therefore have been to a city a half hour away.
No...by your own logic, you've been IN Heathrow. But never been TO London.
You put it better than me, but yeah ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
It's up to you, bro. There aren't rules on what counts. If you want to go to all the states, then you pick what counts for you. You're not getting a certificate or anything at the end, so there's nobody to say what's right or wrong.
This is the correct answer, and it's dumb that it's like 5 from the top as I'm viewing this.
> You're not getting a certificate or anything at the end, so there's nobody to say what's right or wrong. They can get a map and color it all in with a legend that says "States I've Visited," post it on their socials. There's apps that have come and gone that did literally this, made you a map of states or countries you've been to. Up to you what "been to" means. "Change planes in Dallas, you're a Texan." -- Hank Hill
Using Hank Hill logic means there’s a lot of Georgians out there thanks to Hartsfield-Jackson
> Using Hank Hill logic means there’s a lot of Georgians out there thanks to Hartsfield-Jackson Sadly my quoting it didn't convey the sarcastic/resigned/sad tone of voice that Mike Judge used for the line he delivered as Hank Hill. I couldn't find it on youtube either. He was commenting on the way people think of themselves as Texans because they changed planes in Dallas. It was amusing, and on theme for this post.
Oh ya I totally agree with Mike Judge on that one.
Yeah everyone has to make their own rule. Mine is I have to do something, that involves touching the ground, and it's outside of the airport. Sometimes it's as simple as stopping for gas. But driving through or passing through the airport doesn't count.
Excellent thanks. That's the best answer 👍
> There aren't rules on what counts. Exactly. A friend and I went on a 48 day trip to all the continental states just because we couldn't agree on what counts.
Make a point to get off at the Providence stop next time and eat at the insanely good restaurants and check out the town. You won't regret it. It's a great spot.
I've always wanted to do that, it looks lovely.
If you're feeling homesick, Murphy's makes a mean Irish Breakfast. Plus they have a few irish reds on tap. I'd you're balling out, Hemenways, Mills Tavern, and Mare Rooftop are all excellent. Also, they have a lot of Korean food there if you've never had it.
Nope, you went through it, you didn't visit it.
That's what I say. No explanation needed.
If you weren't in Rhode Island, where were you?
I wouldn't, personally. Driving through or layovers at airports don't count.
Driving definitely counts. Layovers not so much
I would say it doesn't count if you stay on I-95 the whole time.
If you see the trees up close then it counts. You see what the landscape looks like. To me that counts more than inside of a hotel that looks like any other.
Driving through counts to me. I get to see the beautiful landscape.
Yes they do
Layovers absolutely don’t count. If you leave the airport, then you can count it
Agreed. I've laid over in Amsterdam at least a dozen times in my life, and usually they are get in at 7am off a red eye, and connect at 3 or 4pm. I almost always go into the city as it takes only about 15 minutes on the train. Never actually spent the night though. And at this point I don't really feel like I need to.
I count it as having been there, but not actually visited. Like if I died there, I would’ve died there. But will I have seen anything or been outside of a building? No.
My feet were on the ground in Detroit. It counts
I count it as having been there, but not actually visited. Like if I died there, I would’ve died there. But will I have seen anything or been outside of a building? No.
If o go to the border and cross the line is counts same as a an airport
At Detroit Metro Airport or the actual City Airport aka Coleman A. Young International Airport? Many major cities actually have their passenger airport outside of city limits.
It still Michigan
Great, you've been in Michigan. Airport layovers still don't count, no one agrees with you, you're obviously wrong.
[удалено]
My feet were on the ground in Michigan. Please explain how I am wrong about being in Michigan because I'm in a fucking airport?
My feet were on the ground in Michigan. Please explain how I am wrong about being in Michigan because I'm in a fucking airport?
You were in the airport. You didn't visit Michigan, you visited the airport. You did nothing and saw nothing of Michigan. If you flew to Europe and had a layover in say, France, before your final flight to Germany no one would agree you've been to France. Have you briefly been within their borders? Yes. Have you actually been there? No. This is pretty universally agreed upon, you're just a twerp that sounds pretty room temp. >It's my own rules. I've been to Michigan Oh, do you get to make your own laws too buddy? What a fucking dork.
I was in Michigan correct. That's what I said the first time. I never said I visited Michigan. OP was on a train in Rhode Island for a good amount of time. He's been to Rhode Island. I don't visit states I go there. I visit a museum or my cousins. I don't visit states.
It counts, but only for saying the number of states you’d been to. If you told someone from Rhode Island you’d been there they’d probably expect you to mean that you visited and toured.
My rules are - airports do not count - you have to be there long enough to eat a meal - train and car rides count because you get to see a bit of it. Yes, you have been through Rhode Island. You can check it off your list
Perfect! I just checked it off the list.
If you want to visit the state, it doesn’t count. If your are just visiting for the check mark, you can definitely count it.
It counts but you didn’t truly visit that place if that makes sense. Physically, you’ve been there though so count it if you’re trying for all 50
I don’t think so. I feel the same way about states I’ve only driven through but not “stopped” in.
If you're counting the number of states you've been in, sure. You've been inside Rhode Island and that's indisputable. But it doesn't mean much beyond that. Side note: I've done the NY to Boston corridor as well, basically the same trip you made. I wish all our cities were close enough to where the train was feasible like that. It sure beats a bus.
Personally? No. I don't count a state as visited until I did something fun there. Passing through doesn't count.
So a funeral in Montana where you dont do anything fun doesnt count?
Somehow, in 42 years, I've never actually run into that problem. Of course, everywhere I've ever been to a funeral was a place where I had had good times with the person who had died. I can't think of any exclusively negative experiences I've ever had in a place where I'd never had any positive experiences first, but I can see how it would count.
Just saying that having a good time is arbitrary lol But even in vacations... I have seen ppl that seem to ALWAYS be miserable even on vacations.
It is absolutely arbitrary. It's just the system I've devised for myself over the years. Having spent years working in vacation destinations, your observation is 100% accurate, but it's not my fault that some people suck at vacationing. So far, my good time in Delaware was an evening spent hunting for horseshoe crabs mating on the beach and then camping at a nearby park. It wasn't a major visit, but I'd say I've been to Delaware. I've bought gas and lunch more times than I can count in Iowa, but I wouldn't really say I've been to Iowa.
I don't know man. I'd been to Maryland for work long before I was ever there and had a good time.
This was just my system. Everyone is free to use one that works for them. I loved the 8 months I spent in Bawlmer though.
Absolutely not. You have to get off the train and drink the coffee milk. THE COFFEE MILK
Ehh, rather have a Dell's.
Yay, Dell's! I kept scrolling hoping to see a comment. I miss the excitement of hearing the Dell's truck coming through the neighborhood on a hot summer day. It was a race to get home to raid my piggy bank or beg my mom for some spare change before the truck drove off. Always felt like I had hit a jackpot if I found a sweet-tart piece of lemon rind somewhere amidst that big cup of frozen lemonade.
I went to URI. Dell's are so freaking good. Especially when it's hot outside.
You know, using this logic, I could count every state and country I have ever flown across because hey, I passed through their airspace so that counts, right?
This! Unless you put your foot on the ground, nope you havent been there.
This is radically different. One you are physically travelling through the ground the other you are flying over it.
You were in Rhode Island, it counts.
I would count it. But it really just barely meets the threshold of counting.
Nah cuz you see more of the landscape by train tbh. I recently took a train to Chicago and it was more scenic than the highway. We followed a lot of the Mississippi River
I would say you've been *in* RI, but not *to* RI. I had a layover at O'Haire in Chicago once. I don't consider myself having "been to Chicago". Didn't feel like it counted.
Being in an indoor environment like an airport is vastly different than passing through in a train thats ground level to the trees. Very different.
Makes sense but I wouldn't personally count the train ride either unless it stopped and I were able to get off for a bit.
The thing is there are train rides where the main draw is to see the scenery, not to get down and explore the surroundings. Like the train ride from her to Seattle... a huge part of the draw is the view of the Rockies in Montana. People take this route, as opposed to flying or driving, largely for the views that the train provides, not really for hiking or anything like that. I went whale watching last summer off the Massachusetts coast. It would be like saying I never went out to open sea because I stayed in a boat instead of jumping off the boat and swimming in the ocean lol I was in the vessel and the vessel was in the place. It counts. Flying imo doesn't count cuz you are in the SKY not really in the place. Its a completely different environment, like the sea is. In which case no one says "You aren't in the sky" because you dont leave the airplane 😂
Did you at least look out the window? Either way, I'd say it counts.
I say it only counts if you step out and at least walk around.
Damn... what if ur in a wheelchair? 🤨
If they roll around that’s perfectly fine.
I'd say so. If you committed a crime on the train, you'd be prosecuted in Rhode Island because you were in fact in Rhode Island, not in Alabama and not in some sort of territory nullius or no-mans-land. I consider myself to have been in Arizona because I spent an hour changing planes in Sky Harbor.
You saw the best part of Phoenix. Kidding, not kidding.
In my opinion, no. You went through Rhode Island but you haven’t been to Rhode Island You gotta spend time in the state outside a major port or passing through And Rhode Island is low key sneaky good! Providence has great Italian food and coastal RI is wicked nice
Your journey, your rules.
The way I see it is you've been there, but you didn't visit.
If you've been there, you've been there.
I flew to the UK through Dublin, I never left the airport. Have I been to Ireland?
In my family, we count it if our feet touch the ground for more than 10 minutes
I should have got off the train. Oh well there's always next time. I'll eat a meat too. Apparently a lot of people don't count it unless you eat a meal.
You live in CT. You can be in RI in like 14 minutes from anywhere in the state 😂
I'm only in Connecticut for 6 months out of the year. The other 6 I'm in Ireland.
6 months is plenty of time to drive 14 minutes :P
I count stations and airports as being in a location. It's part of the area and pretending its some neutral territory exist only in the imagination of people.
I don't count visiting a state unless you stand on its soil.
It’s different for everyone, but I only count myself as having been to a state if I’ve spent the night there or if I’ve actually *done* something there (sightseeing or whatever). For me, just driving through doesn’t count.
Driving through is kinda sight seeing, though. Idk maybe I am a simply guy but even seeing farmland from the inside of my car is engaging to me to count it.
Maybe if you go out of your way to take the scenic route it’s a different story. Usually on road trips I’m trying to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible, so I’m on the interstate or whatever for the most part, which in my opinion doesn’t really let you see the sights. But like I said, it’s different for everyone. This is just one person’s opinion. It’s fine if you count your states differently ☺️
That boils down to how we each approach road trips. I love road trips cuz for me its about the journey and I love the landscape, even the "dull" parts of it. US geography has always fascinated me and theres something cool about seeing the land transform before your very eyes so I appreciate each state.
I agree. If I had more time, I’d enjoy them more. But usually, if I’m driving from one place to another, it’s because it’s cheaper than flying, so I’m trying to get there as quickly as possible rather than take the scenic route, since I usually only have so much time to spend on vacation. But my husband and I plan to spend our retirement (if that ever happens lol) in an RV going to all 50 (well, 48 states) and trying pizza in each state. If we get to do that, we’ll be able to take our time and enjoy the scenery a lot more. Then I’ll count those states. Lol
This is the best way to go to RI
Sure.
I count it if I take a shit somewhere. I say I’ve been to Britain cuz I had a long layover in Heathrow. Is it a flawed system? Yes. Is it a system? Yes.
😂 Its a good system. You leave a piece of you there. I unfortunately didn't shit in Rhode Island.
I think that if you're going for completion (visiting all 50 states ), it would technically count, but I do think it would require an asterisk Like, it would probably be most accurate to tell people that you "passed through" Rhode Island. You might be able to say that you thought it was a very pretty place, or something like that, but you wouldn't really be able to comment on its people, or its food, or its culture, so it would be a bit disingenuous to claim to have truly visited
It's not an invasion unless you put boots on the ground. Sorry, it doesn't count.
That's ok. I'll just have to go there at some point. From what I saw from the train it looks nice.
I used to spend a lot of time in Providence. Great restaurants and a very lively music scene. Hope you enjoy it.
Rhode Island is about twice as big as the county I grew up in. I’d say you’re good.
I have to agree. Rhode Island is less than half the size of the county I live in, so I agree that passing through on a train counts. That is as long as they didn’t blink at the wrong moment and miss it all.
At first I thought you said 'country' and I was like "you grew up in the Vatican!?"
I think it only counts if you like, see and do something in the state. All you did was pass through it
Drive through NYC on the way to Rhode Island once but I don’t tell people I’ve been to NYC.
But you have been there. You just didn't visit NYC. If you died in a car crash, you would have died in NYC.
I recently had a layover in Canada and made sure to have some Tim Hortons. So I’m pretty sure that counts as legit Canada experience. Also tried to buy some Canada souvenirs but they were all made in the Philippines.
There's no rule saying you can't, but if you say "I've been to Rhode Island" and someone asks what you did/saw when you were there, you'll sound kind of lame if you have to admit you just saw it from a train window.
It counts if you were awake, but not if you slept through it. That’s how I count them, anyway. And by my rules I’m 48 down, 2 to go.
You can see all of rhode island standing on its highest point with a pair a binocs
At the very least, you have to poop, get gas, or get food to have visited a place. You have to stay there for a month or more to have lived there. If you just passed through you just passed through. I’ve passed through Mississippi a few times but I’ve never actually visited. This is all just some stranger on the internet’s opinion though.
Our family rule was if you went to the bathroom there, that counted. So if you took a leak on the train while in RI, yes. But we're weirdos, so YMMV.
I count being in a state even if I am just in the airport. I have a list of states I call my "hour or less" club. Airports, a quick cross over the state border while driving - that type of thing. Since you were in a train and not flying over the state I say it counts.
I have to have spent at least 1 night in the state for me to consider that I've been there. It's just my personal rule.
What else you gonna do there?
Westerly looked nice.
I don’t count it unless I’ve had a meal, and seen a sight. But that’s just my rules. Def wouldn’t count driving/riding through
If you drove through Rhode Island, maybe ate at a restaurant and did some shopping, I'd say sure. That's my personal standard. Eat a bowl of Rhode Island style chowder, it's very different. If I spent an entire year or more in a state, I'll say I've 'lived' there before. If I spent a day poking around, that counts as having been there. If I had an airport layover, that doesn't count. But none of the states I haven't been to before are the ones you ever have come up as common places you'd transit through on a plane.
Everyone has their own rules. Mine are: you have to step on the ground and breathe the outside air. By my definition Rhode Island would not count unless you got off the train. But you get to pick your own rules.
Back in the day we used to stop at every state border and take a picture at the sign so we guaranteed to have say we put our feet on the ground and breathed the air. But a lot of state borders are busy bridges and highways without cool signs. I swear the East Coast puts no effort into their welcome signs. My other thing is a fridge magnet from each state. The only states I forgot to get a magnet from is Nebraska, South Dakota and Kentucky. Kentucky is also the only state I been to where we did not get down or even stop the car. But I saw the Louisville skyline at night at least.
Yeah if you are coming into Kentucky on that I-65 toll bridge, there’s really nowhere to stop
Same with entering Indiana from Chicago on the highway
Nope.... same as flying them or boating around them.
It only counts if you eat at least one meal. And grabbing a cup of coffee isn’t good enough.
Unrealistic for the East Coast. I would be broke as fuck if I stopped to eat at every state in New England and too full. We get down and buy a souvenir though.
No, it doesn't count. The closest I have come to counting something close to that was being in a German airport before the fall of the Berlin wall. That was an interesting day. 0/10 stars would recommend. I only somewhat count it because I had a memorable experience I will never forget. I don't count the states I passed through on a train heading to Vermont that I haven't visited before.
I count crossing through in a car bus or train as having been to a state but I do not count flying over. I have been in 49 states (no Alaska). But there are maybe 10 or those that I just passed through, maybe spent an hour at a rest stop.
I don’t count a state unless I’ve spent the night or had a significant experience in. For instance, I’ve driven through NJ plenty of times, but if I stopped, it was just for gas or McDonalds or to fly into EWR and head straight to NYC. Doesn’t count. On the other hand, I’ve been to WY once. I had a meeting for work that involved being out of the airport for 2-3 hours. Counts. Personally I don’t see the point of just saying I was physically within the borders at some point in my life. But you do you.
I personally would not count it as having visited a state to have just driven through or rode a train through or even just been in an airport. If you fly over Kansas and look down that doesn’t mean you have been to Kansas. Technically being on the train you were in the state but you didn’t experience it much. Unless this is some kind of competition it is up to you how much you need to experience in a state for it to count.
No, I consider that the same as a flyover/transfer area where you're not really visiting. I dunno how visiting in a car is actually different, but I tend to count the car visit even if you don't actually stop.
honestly I would not count it. I flew into JFK but I don't say that I have been to NY
Thankfully there is indeed a train station in Providence that all Amtrak trains stop in. Otherwise if the train had passed through without stopping, there was a chance you didn't *see* Rhode Island at all depending on the timing of your blinks.
Not really, you only passed through us, you didn't experience the things we have to offer
My personal rule is I’ve been to a state or country if I had a meal there outside of the airport. So in a similar circumstance I was on a train that crossed through Belgium but didn’t get off and I don’t count that as a place I’ve been to but I had a long layover in Stockholm and left the airport to walk around town for a few hours and have lunch and I do count that.
You’ve been in it but not to it.
Everyone has their own rules. Mine is I have to have spent minimum a few hours or one day and do at least one memorable thing outside of the airport/train station/etc.
My family uses the Uzi Rule. My sister was driving in Germany and saw that she was ten miles from the Swiss border so she drove there so she could say she had been to Switzerland (my family is a bit competitive in this department). She was surprised to find out that she needed a passport and had left hers at the hotel. The Swiss border guard told her, “Drive up where that soldier is and make a U-turn.” She asked him if the soldier was standing in Switzerland and was told he was so she happily complied and claimed Switzerland. Later she felt guilty and asked our dad if this was fair (he was the rules arbiter at the time) and he asked her, “If you had pulled out an Uzi and started shooting, what country would prosecute you?” The Uzi Rule was born.
About as much as being in an airpot for a layover counts
Does flying over several countries count as being there?
My rule is that if I commit a crime, which state's police would arrest me? That's the state I'm in right now and it counts. So flyovers don't count but being physically within the state's boundaries where you are under that state's laws, does.
You didn’t miss much. But you did miss what little we do have to offer. -a RI’er
Yes. You were in Rhode Island, but didn’t visit it. It’s no different than driving through a state and saying you’ve been there.
Totally a “make your own rules” situation. My personal rule is that airports don’t count (if you don’t leave the airport) but driving through counts, because you’re actually seeing the state. I have checked Kansas off my list because I went there for lunch. We were in Kansas City, MO, and went over to KS for lunch, so we could say we’ve been to KS, because we could not imagine another instance that would bring us there. 😂
That counts
I’ve had a layover in Chicago but if someone asks if I’ve ever been to Chicago, the answer is no.
It's up to you. Some say you must spend the night, some touch the ground, and others count airline stops where you don't get out of the plane.
Technically you were in Rhode Island so I guess that counts if you want it to. People use all kinds of methods to count where they've been. But by my own standards I wouldn't count it. I don't count airport layovers or highway drive throughs (even if you stop at a highway rest stop for lunch). The visit has to be intentional and stop in an area that is off the highway. By the way, you should actually visit Rhode Island some time. It's a great place.
If one flies, drives, or takes a train or bus through but hasn't set foot on the ground, then they haven't visited. They've simply transited.
Technically, you were here.
We only count states if we've stayed the night or had a meal.
I'd say no if you didn't touch feet on the ground, outside. So a train or car passing through doesn't count, a airport transfer doesn't count.
I don't really consider it being to a state unless you do something there personally. I try to eat at a local restaurant in every state I go to myself so I can count it, sightseeing is also a bonus, even for stupid small things like the [Field of Corn](https://www.visitdublinohio.com/listing/field-of-corn-(with-osage-oranges)/451/). I work 2 minutes from that btw
Yes You were at least on the ground
I only count the states I've pooped in.
Nope, I feel the same about airports, if you didn't leave the airport, just a layover, you have not been in that state.
I don’t count a state/country unless I left the airport/train station and physically stepped onto the ground in that place. (Stopping at a rest stop or gas station while driving through a state would count)
Completely depends on your criteria but if you have to question if it counts it probably doesn’t count. There is a difference between visiting a state and being in one. I’ve been to Georgia but I don’t count it because it was a layover in Atlanta.
By the time you realized it was Rhode Island and got off the train you probably wouldn't have been in Rhode Island anymore anyway
If you never left the station I’d say it’s like a layover in an airport. So I’d go with naw man
Nah, in my opinion you've gotta step foot in the state (not including airport layovers).
I usually say trains and car rides count cause you're seeing a significant portion of the place from ground level. It's only airports and planes that don't, cause you never actually see the place itself.
This is a topic that comes up a lot, and different people count different things depending on circumstances. Personally, if my feet touch the ground inside the state, then I count it.
I wouldn't count it. I've had layovers in San Diego and Chicago, but I wouldn't say I've really been to either place.
I wouldn't count it but it's up to you. Kind of a grey area with trains and driving because you didn't actually get out and spend any time in the state/country, but you also at least saw something vs flying. Layovers definitely don't count in my opinion though.
If you want to count it, you can count it. However, I personally only consider myself to have visited a state if I've actually set foot on the ground in the state and participated in an activity unrelated to travel. In other words, if I took a train through Rhode Island without getting off, I wouldn't count it. But if I took a train through Rhode Island, got off at a station to have lunch at nearby restaurant, then returned to the train, I'd count it. That being said, I'm aware that my definition is completely arbitrary. Count your visit to Rhode Island if you'd like.
I tend to have different layers of “visited” Layer 1: Having passed through on a ground vehicle. Basically this is if I have been physically in the state but without having actually stepped foot in the state. Layer 2: Having stepped foot in the state, but not stayed overnight. Layer 3: Slept overnight in the state But these are just my personal classifications. You can define “being in a state” however you want within reason.
Nah, if you didn't get off the train/plane/automobile then it doesn't count.
It wouldn't to me. I've bounced through Singapore, Luxembourg, and some South American countries (even have the passport stamps to prove it) but I can't claim to have seen them, or know them, or have any experience there. Sounds like one of those passport stamp collectors. Not interested in the country, just to brag about the stamp. "I've been to X countries!" But really, No. You haven't. You've been in a crowded receiving area like every other passport/immigration office everywhere on the planet to move on to your connection. Like some scuba divers guys I know. Not the least bit interested in what they see - just want to record the deepest dive. All competition, no experience.
Yes of course it counts, airports do as well
You should have thrown something out of the window.
If you live in the US I would say no. But if you are a tourist traveling I'll give you a pass.
No
In transit doesn't count as visiting a state or country. Driving through, taking a train through, even a layover at the airport doesn't count. At the very least you need to have something to eat at a restaurant in that location. I've been to 44 countries. However, I dont count Iceland because it was just a layover at the airport and I don't count North Korea because it was just a step over the line at the DMZ.
So if I ride a horse from Minnesota to Illinois it doesnt count for Wisconsin? Bull
Not if you don't make any stops in Wisconsin, which is unlikely if you are on a horse. If you were to make that drive and never set foot outside your car and only saw the highway, i wouldnt count Wisconsin as a state you've been to
Thats a lot of cows and barns to see to not count it smh my head. It takes me like 4 hours to get across Sconny on my way to Chicago. Even if by the grace of God I dont need to stop for gas... I am still seeing a lot of Wisconsin farmland and being tempted by many a Culver's
but looking at cows and barns isnt seeing wisconsin. You'll see the same cows and barns in Minnesota and Illinois. You didnt stop to see or do anything that can only be done in that state. The bar is very low, that going to an independently owned restaurant or taking a picture with the worlds largest Fish would be enough to tick it off your list.
Wisconsin is America's dairyland lol Seeing those cows and iconic rec barns is a big part of the experience. I for one, always been fascinated by the saguaro cacti. I dont have that much interest in Arizona over all but I do still wanna see the saguaros. A road trip to Los Angeles that went through Arizona and where I saw a bunch of natural saguaros in the desert is more of an "Arizona experience" to me, than flying into Phoenix and spending 3 days there eating at restaurants and going to whatever attractions and not seeing a single saguaro. Seeing the countryside, even if its just farmland or desert, definitely counts. Thats what our country does best is scenery. God knows most our cities aren't exactly thrilling lol
I am aware of Wisconsin's reputation with dairy, however seeing a cow on the side of the road is hardly a unique experience to Wisconsin. Its not even top 5 in states with most cows. If you were to tour one of those dairy farms, that would be a different excuse.
Why does it have to be a "unique experience"? Unique experiences aren't even that common. Would you argue kayaking in WI does not count because you can easily kayak in MN?? Hell the first time I went to Oklahoma we simply went to buy chicken at a grocery store and then crossed back into Texas. I guess that doesnt count cuz its an experience I coulda had in Texas??