Jesse Singer articles

Americans have no problem telling you what they hate about another state. But ask them to name the best thing about it and suddenly the answers get a lot more interesting. Do you agree?

You finally make it down to the resort pool. The sun is shining, the water looks perfect and every single lounge chair appears to be taken. Except...hardly anybody is actually sitting in them. Half the chairs are occupied by towels. Hours later, the towels are still there. Their owners? Nowhere to be found.

Most Americans know laws change from state to state. But some differences are so extreme they feel like glitches in the map.

You're snorkeling in clear water when something on the bottom catches the light. By the time you're done, you've found 10 old coins underwater. Congratulations. You may have found treasure. You may also have created a surprisingly complicated legal problem.

You paid for the room. You’re hungry. The hotel burger costs $27 and the place across the street makes one for $11. This seems like the easiest decision you'll make all day. Then you notice the hotel has a “no outside food” rule. Surely they mean the restaurant, right?

It dominates every photograph, completely changes your profile and usually finds the doorframe a split second before the rest of your face. But compare it with our closest living relatives and something looks very strange. Humans somehow grew a feature that pushes straight out of the face...but why?

Most Americans cross state lines without wondering whether something they have done their entire lives just became illegal.But every so often, one state has looked at something accepted everywhere else—and decided it stops at the border.

You booked the room, checked the price and assumed the days of mysterious hotel add-ons were finally over. Then a $65 resort fee appeared. But “junk fees” are illegal now, aren’t they?

A family trip through America’s national parks once seemed fairly easy to budget. Gas, hotels, food and a modest entrance fee when the minivan finally reached the gate. But in 2026, one missing detail could turn that entrance sign into the most expensive part of the day.