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One in four Americans have yet to visit iconic landmarks in their own cities, according to new research. From the Empire State Building to the Golden Gate Bridge to Mount Rushmore, a new study of 2,000 Americans found that while many far-flung places are yet to be checked off, many Americans are also missing out on things much closer to home.
In fact, 23 percent of those polled feel they have yet to check off even one iconic landmark in their own home nation.
Respondents were also questioned on their attendance of several of America’s biggest tourist attractions and found many have a lot left to do – just 33 percent had seen Niagara Falls and 28 percent the Grand Canyon.
The study, commissioned by OnePoll in conjunction with Zipcar, the world’s leading car-sharing network, found that seven in ten people hadn’t been to the Empire State Building, while 78 percent haven’t managed to see the National Mall in Washington D.C.
Eight in ten Americans have a restaurant close by they’ve been meaning to try but never found the time, with a fifth saying they have as many as 10 food places in their local area they want to try but just haven’t done it yet.
55 percent admitted that they have a local landmark they want to check out but haven’t, and a similar number (53 percent) intend to check out their local library, but, nope, they never have quite made it there.
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“Our goal at Zipcar is to make cities better places to live not only through enabling smart transportation but also by encouraging the exploration of our local communities, which are full of new foods and flavors around every street corner,” said Katelyn Chesley, Zipcar spokesperson.
Although over half of those polled felt they had some spontaneity in them, just a fifth felt they were good at getting out and about at short notice or on impulse.
The lack of trying new things might explain why nearly half the respondents (49 percent) consider themselves a creature of habit and 52 percent wish they traveled about more.
Americans are no longer exploring what their neighborhood has to offer. It turns out that 58 percent of Americans don’t have a local coffee shop that they frequent regularly. While the Americans polled also said, on average, they only try out a new coffee shop just once every five months.
And it’s not just coffee shops that are missing Americans’ patronage. The average American will only try a new restaurant every four months, a new park every five months, and a new museum every six months.
So, what is actually stopping Americans from exploring the best their neighborhood has to offer? Over half (51 percent) blame a lack of money, three in 10 complain that they don’t have enough time and are too busy, while 18 percent attribute their loss of exploration to the lack of reliable transportation and not having anyone to go with them.
With 54 percent of Americans craving spontaneity in their lives, it’s no surprise that 52 percent said that they wish that they traveled more frequently.
It appears that millennials are open to trying new things more than older generations. In fact, six in 10 millennials often try new things compared to less than a third of those 55 and older (32 percent).
“Wherever your backyard bucket list takes you next, we’ve got the wheels to get you there, whether you need a big car for a family trip to the museum across town, a luxury car for that five-star restaurant you’ve been meaning to try, or an SUV for a backroad trip to a national park,” said Chesley.
TOP 10 U.S. SIGHTS ON AMERICANS’ BUCKET LISTS
• Grand Canyon
• Yellowstone National Park
• Statue of Liberty
• Mount Rushmore
• Empire State Building
• One World Trade Center
• Golden Gate Bridge
• New York Aquarium
• Space Needle
• Gettysburg National Military Park
THE AVERAGE AMERICAN GOES TO A NEW…
• Coffee shop every 5 months
• Restaurant every 4 months
• Library every 5 months
• Park every 5 months
• Beach every 6 months
• Museum every 6 months
• Landmark every 6 months
• State fair every 6 months
• Supermarket every 4 months
