As a daughter of parents who came to this country with nothing half a century ago, no politics will ever get in the way of my gratitude – especially during this time of year – to be American. My family is the American Dream, and many of my friends who came here to build a better life for themselves show that the dream is still alive today.
Oh Beautiful for Spacious Skies
In the current state of the country, I have very smart friends getting passports from St. Kitts, Portugal and Montenegro. I myself am wondering if a fallback plan should be put in place, like a second European husband which could be fun. (Just kidding Mom). However I remind myself that even with a European passport, I would never be considered Portuguese or Montenegrin. On the other hand if you get through the U.S. citizenship gauntlet, the United States is the only place in the entire world where you can proudly say you are American. This country is built on immigrants and hard work. It’s the closest place to a meritocracy there is in the over 140 countries I’ve traveled to around the world. If there’s a better place than the U.S., I still haven’t found it. I hope that the American Dream continues and that our country only gets better.
Purple Mountain Majesties
I am nostalgic of the summer four years ago that I spent traveling around the U.S. during the pandemic. The first place I hopped on a plane to besides Chicago to visit my family was my second home of Aspen. There is nothing like it during the summer, where seeing the mountain range of Maroon Bells never gets old. I may sneak over if schedules work out this year to meet friends for our annual trip. It’s hard to believe that four years have passed since I made it to Jackson Hole. I had all intentions of making it an annual trip after staying at Amangani for a few days and the Four Seasons. Jackson for me was the closest to God’s country I’ve been to in the U.S. If you haven’t yet been, it’s a must to put on your list.
That same year I went to Santa Fe for the first time, then stayed Amangiri and lived in LA for a month. I reconnected with friends in Napa, and spent a lot of time in Chicago. The world was upside down but I took that chance to discover the best place to live in the entire world – the USA.
America, The Beautiful
The point of me sharing my nostalgia this time of year is that there are so many beautiful places to explore in the U.S. It’s not of course in lieu of going to Greece or France, but rather in addition to. I hope that this Fourth of July holiday you have a chance to soak the beauty of being an American. The beauty of course is being able to take all of our freedoms and opportunities here for granted. One of the many things that makes this country so great.
All the best,
Christine Drinan, Founder
