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Stimulation: A Day in the Life of Americans

Started by webny99, August 03, 2018, 01:10:14 PM

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webny99

I found this stimulation quite intriguing:
https://flowingdata.com/2015/12/15/a-day-in-the-life-of-americans/

I wondered what others thought about how accurate it is. Being a roadgeek, I would have expected more "traveling", especially around peak times, but maybe I just underestimate how many people work from home. If you get bored, change the speed to fast. Should be taken with a few grains of salt, but interesting nonetheless.


Max Rockatansky

I always found it interesting how formulaic most American life styles are.  Fortunately I've been a career field which generally has allowed me to work when I've wanted and be off when I've wanted.  For most part I try to avoid anything work related during the morning/evening rush hour and anything recreational as much as I can on summer weekends.  I also get up regularly around 4-4:30 AM to exercise or go travel somewhere.  It's amazing how much solitude you can really have if you just know when the bulk of the Monday through Friday crowd does things. 

It even works the same way for seasons.  Most people go on vacation in Spring and Summer.  Conversely Fall and Winter vacations tend to be non-existent outside of isolated days like Thanksgiving. 

abefroman329

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 03, 2018, 07:41:38 PMMost people go on vacation in Spring and Summer.  Conversely Fall and Winter vacations tend to be non-existent outside of isolated days like Thanksgiving.
I will quietly tolerate winter weather (I have to, given my location), but I don't want to go on vacation in the winter. I don't want to travel to other cold-weather locations, traveling to warm-weather locations is exorbitant, and even getting out of Chicago in the middle of snowy or icy conditions is an ordeal by itself (airports just don't recover as quickly as they do after a thunderstorm rolls through in the summer).

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: abefroman329 on August 04, 2018, 12:26:05 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 03, 2018, 07:41:38 PMMost people go on vacation in Spring and Summer.  Conversely Fall and Winter vacations tend to be non-existent outside of isolated days like Thanksgiving.
I will quietly tolerate winter weather (I have to, given my location), but I don't want to go on vacation in the winter. I don't want to travel to other cold-weather locations, traveling to warm-weather locations is exorbitant, and even getting out of Chicago in the middle of snowy or icy conditions is an ordeal by itself (airports just don't recover as quickly as they do after a thunderstorm rolls through in the summer).

Back in 2013 I went to all five National Parks in Utah and Great Basin Nevada after a heavy blizzard.  I brought snow shoes and chains in the car for the trip.  I never had to use the chains but ended up using the show shoes in three of the parks.  Everyone of those places was completely empty and I had an absolute blast.  Ended up at a small party in Moab with a bunch of the locals, it was probably one of the most fun trips I've ever done alone.  That said; I did encounter -14F weather and had engine knocking from gummed gas on UT 24.  I was prepared for that trip but it really could have turned south easily if something went wrong, I definitely understand why it wouldn't be appealing for most. 

Rothman

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 03, 2018, 07:41:38 PM
I always found it interesting how formulaic most American life styles are.  Fortunately I've been a career field which generally has allowed me to work when I've wanted and be off when I've wanted.  For most part I try to avoid anything work related during the morning/evening rush hour and anything recreational as much as I can on summer weekends.  I also get up regularly around 4-4:30 AM to exercise or go travel somewhere.  It's amazing how much solitude you can really have if you just know when the bulk of the Monday through Friday crowd does things. 

It even works the same way for seasons.  Most people go on vacation in Spring and Summer.  Conversely Fall and Winter vacations tend to be non-existent outside of isolated days like Thanksgiving.
Our work benefits stink compared to Europeans'.  The big difference is that there is no state-guaranteed paid maternity leave here in the States, although leave benefits are sorely lacking as well in comparison (yes, our cooks in restaurants do not usually have sick leave...think about the ramifications of that.).

The woeful state of labor rights here - probably due to the demolition of unions carried out under the falsehood that as profits go up, labor purchasing power goes up - is a key reason why there is the difference in lifestyles on either side of the pond.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

jeffandnicole

Quote from: webny99 on August 03, 2018, 01:10:14 PM
I found this stimulation quite intriguing:
https://flowingdata.com/2015/12/15/a-day-in-the-life-of-americans/

I wondered what others thought about how accurate it is. Being a roadgeek, I would have expected more "traveling", especially around peak times, but maybe I just underestimate how many people work from home. If you get bored, change the speed to fast. Should be taken with a few grains of salt, but interesting nonetheless.

On a day off look around your development or neighborhood.  Look at all the cars still parked during rush hour.  Then go out after 9 or 10am and see all the traffic on the road; people that would've left after rush hour to go to work, run errands, etc.  The Travel stat may be slightly undervalued, depending how accurately people filled out the surveys that the data is gathered from.  But it's probably not totally unreasonable.

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 03, 2018, 07:41:38 PM
Most people go on vacation in Spring and Summer.  Conversely Fall and Winter vacations tend to be non-existent outside of isolated days like Thanksgiving. 

While traditional family vacations occur in the summer, all you need to do is look at warm-weather destinations in the winter and see how packed they are.  For many all inclusive resorts, their high-time (and most expensive vacations) start around Christmas and run throughout the winter.  Adult-oriented places like Las Vegas are generally crowded year-round, but people will avoid the heat of the summer, and you can get some great deals here.  There's probably fewer vacations overall taken in the fall, but most tourist destinations in the southern states and warmer climates are well travelled by tourists in the fall and winter.

abefroman329

Quote from: Rothman on August 06, 2018, 07:53:27 AMOur work benefits stink compared to Europeans'.  The big difference is that there is no state-guaranteed paid maternity leave here in the States, although leave benefits are sorely lacking as well in comparison (yes, our cooks in restaurants do not usually have sick leave...think about the ramifications of that.).
Yes, they do.  I'm fortunate enough to work for a private corporation with stellar benefits.  Five weeks' paid time off for new employees, goes up to seven weeks based on seniority; and sixteen weeks of paid parental leave are the highlights.  Regarding the latter, I can't imagine being back at work already, and I'm just the father; the thought of a new mother already having to be back at work is disgraceful.



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