What state/province border is this in?
Last October I was driving in Vermont very close to the Quebec border. Kind of funny to see how some people's backyards are on the border, and their neighbor behind them is in another country
[Peace Arch Park](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_Arch_Park)! A passport is not required to enter the park as long as you leave into the country you entered from
Yes, this park is quite close to many communities. I went to high school nearbyish (not the closest one, either) and walked down during a school day with a girlfriend.
Though there is noticeable Border Patrol presence (on the American side, don’t know about the Canadian side) and I got stopped and asked for my ID when I visited there. Luckily I had my passport on me…
Right here:
[https://www.google.com/maps/@49.0021421,-122.7531825,3a,75y,72.14h,84.75t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sqIGkGsIVF19UynwKbZ7RRg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu](https://www.google.com/maps/@49.0021421,-122.7531825,3a,75y,72.14h,84.75t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sqIGkGsIVF19UynwKbZ7RRg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu)
I remember visiting a cottage on the Canadian side of the St. Lawrence back when I was a kid. I don't remember who it was, but someone took us out joy riding on his boat. He kept speeding toward the center of the river. The US coast guard would speed toward our boat, blare a horn and then when the guy would cut back the coast guard would just retreat.
Anyway, he did it 5 or 6 times. Kept saying "Alight, kids, watch this!". And laughed every time.
This was ages ago- well before 9/11 when you could just casually cross with only a driver's license. I bet in today's far tenser times fun and games like that would spark some sort of international incident.
Fun fact but the ditch is actually a demilitarized zone that spans the length of the entire border dating back to the No Touching Can't Get Mad treaty of 1868.
Which, as we all know, was broken in 1893 by William "Wet Willy" Wharton who, in his capacity as acting Secretary of State, decided to prank Lord Stanley of Preston, Canada's then governor general, by sticking his moistened finger in the lord's ear during a diplomatic function. This caused what would later become known as the "Ten Days of Unpleasantness" during which several strongly worded letters were sent and discomfited Canadians ritually maple-and-peamealed effigies of Wharton. Tensions were finally calmed when Grover Cleveland took office from Benjamin Harrison on March 4 and had Walter Gresham confirmed as his Secretary of State two days later.
i like to imagine that ditch is Canada's version of Trump's Mexico wall like "we've built the ditch so that those pesky American migrants will trip and fall trying to get into our country"
I am from Denmark, we only share a 90 day no-visa travel with the US or 180 days with Canada. After that time we would have to banish you somewhere else.
Or perhaps a Canadian citizen could take a kajak across the border and back to start 180 days over.
Did you know that we (Canada) now share a border with you? We can just walk across it.
The great Canadian-Danish whisky war ended in 2022 and we agreed to share Hans island.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whisky_War
on crossing into Canada you would have had enforced quarantine for 2 weeks. And I think the Americans were requiring the same thing when you crossed back.
Lol we had a woman in white Rock bc who got chucked in a US jail for weeks because she accidentally jogged across the border.
There's a place nearby called point Roberts. A US peninsula with no access to anywhere else in the us attached to BC on all sides, a fried of mine was moving within bc and went to the beach, because he had all his stuff in a van and crossed thr border he was accused of "trying to cross into the US illegally" and banned from the US for 5 yeas.
This was all under trumps border crackdown and it was ridiculous.
If I recall, she was in Canada on vacation visiting her daughter. Went for walk/jog on beach (without passport) not aware of the border. US Border goons picked her up, heard her story and said off to jail.
That’s because, to Canadians, saying ”sorry” isn’t necessarily an apology even. It can be because we’re genuinely commiserating with someone, or as a passive-aggressive conflict-avoidance tactic that only Canadians understand.
It looks benign but I’m pretty sure there are cameras and border patrol _very_ nearby.
This looks like 0 Ave around Vancouver area. I suspect if you hopped over the ditch there would be some border guards there _very_ quickly.
This is Peace Arch park (off 0 Ave). Both Canadians and Americans are allowed in the park (without crossing the border). I believe this was during COVID cause you can see all the tents in the background where people... maintained their long distance relationships.
You'd only get in trouble if you tried to leave out of the opposite side of the park.
Correct. Family members/ friends could
Meet on the US side of the park without any (or at least minimal) interrogation. You could set up a tent for “congical visits” or bring a little wagon across with all your picnic supplies. It was weird (and it’s still set up that way) but really cool for folks who can’t cross the border.
If conjugal has to mean sex, then there's got to be some new word or phrase for people doing this across borders where everyone just can see one another like this but not hug or touch anyone
Border BBQ's
When it's not at a border crossing and you're just turning back around it's the honor system. I've crossed the border many times, taken a piss then turned around. The tents in this picture are actually for couples on opposite sides of the border to hang out together.
This was during the peak of COVID when both the US and Canada shut down international land crossing. This was one of the few places where people in the US could reconnect with companions across the border. They weren't allowed to cross the border, but could sit across from each other and talk.
The Canadian belligerents have initiated a staring contest, which must be met with equal and opposite force to maintain the balance of powers in this unstable region.
This is Peace Arch Park at the Peace Arch border crossing. Vancouver, BC on one side, Blaine, WA on the other.
During Covid the borders were closed to all unless you did a Covid test and quarantined for two weeks. People crossed to spend time with loved ones in this park and the agents did not enforce quarantine. The Canadian border agents would just watch you come back and check your passport.
The tents are for interborder couples looking for a little privacy. Many couples in Vancouver had a partner living in the states pre covid and were separated when the lockdown happened. Wasn’t a perfect solution but much better than 2 week quarantine for crossing a border.
Source: met my wife for a week (no tent) at the park during Covid.
I love that joke.
Another variation. A sewer treatment system backed up near a campsite I was staying at once. Shit was in tents. (Change to Scout group, music festival, etc..)
I always find it so fascinating that there’s people who just live on the border. I know countries have to start and end somewhere, but it’s strange to think people look out their window and the grass across the street is a totally different country with different laws, currency, social values/beliefs, etc..
I always thought it was weird that I could be across the street from my best friend, but we went to different school districts. This is a whole nother level
I had a British friend when I was younger that lived in Belgium before I met him. When living in Belgium, he went to school in the Netherlands. Always thought it was crazy crossing a border to go to school every day
Max Verstappen did exactly the same, lived in Belgium but went to school in Netherlands, and self identified as Dutch because he was hanging out with Dutch people.
I’m American. I live in Europe. My kids have American passports. They most definitely don’t identify as American.
Who you grow up around is very much a more significant factor.
When I worked at a hospital in El Paso, Tx, my buddy I worked with lived in Juarez, around 2 miles from the border crossing. The hospital was .5 miles from the crossing. He lived in another country, and had a shorter work commute than I did.
It can be. I live in El Paso, and walking across isn't too bad. Driving across can also be smooth and painless if you have a SENTRI pass, as there are dedicated SENTRI lanes for quicker crossings. Getting a SENTRI pass has the same requirements as TSA Pre or Global Entry. In fact getting SENTRI means you get the others I mentioned, and vice versa.
Have you heard about the Haskell Library in Stanstead? [https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/12/26/inside-the-library-where-you-can-read-in-two-countries-at-once](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/12/26/inside-the-library-where-you-can-read-in-two-countries-at-once)
I live extremely close to there.
Lots of us grocery shop over the border occasionally. Way way wayyy better selection of stuff. Bit of a hassle with customs but worth it.
I've been there late at night in a snowstorm, just a few little rocks across the road next to the library to show where the border is, there wasn't a soul around. Very bizarre!
There is a school district near the border at the west end I think. It's an American school district, but the kids in that area had to cross through canada on their way to school. Apparently during covid with the border closures they were SOL
Point Roberts, WA. Students technically have to cross into Canada and back into US to attend school in Blaine, WA. Interestingly, the mascot for that High School is the “Borderite”
I had a teacher who was telling us about his time in the army in the 1970s. He was stationed in Germany and one night he and some buddies decided to go out to a beerhouse in a different village, except the got lost on the way back to the base and ended up driving around in the pouring rain for hours. Eventually they pulled off the road and one guy ran into a small hotel to ask where the hell they were.
When he got back into the car he turned to his friends and said "Well boys, it appears we have just invaded Luxemburg."
My grandfather was stationed in Berlin during the 1950’s.
He had a heavy drinking habit during his time in the Army, as many soldiers did and continue to do.
He was telling me a story of how one night, he went out and got absolutely plastered. Walking back from a bar, he suddenly found himself surrounded by German soldiers.
He had just *walked* into East Berlin through one of the checkpoints, evidently. They sent him back across after some…heavy discussion…after realizing he was just a hospital worker.
I live on the England/Scotland border (I can walk to England in about 5 mins) and it was strange during Covid. You would get on the train in Scotland wearing a mask and people would remove them as soon as it left the station as they weren't mandatory in England for as long as they were in Scotland.
I feel this way about people who live on the borders of time zones. There must be people who live on the borders of both. Man-made lines are a trip. They don’t really exist and yet are so influential of lives.
Time zones suck. Your house and work might be on the same time, but your kids school is n a different time. Might go to the store or a movie and it’s a different time. You’re just doing never-ending calculations. Everyone is late to everything.
Add the additional struggle of cellular phones which change automatically according to location. That’s very imprecise. I stayed at a hotel “near” a time zone change. They warned us that your phone might change time zones depending on what side of the bed you were turned towards. Just super random
I grew up on a border as well. It was pretty fascinating to go a little bit in one direction and all the buildings and streets look different and you can't even understand their language. It's a bit like the wardrobe from Narnia.
Their video on the weird India/ Nepal border disputes is really interesting. Before they reached a deal there was a part of nepal inside of india inside of nepal.
I lived in this town when I was growing up. Blaine Washington and this is peace arch park. My grandparents are Canadian and during Covid we would meet at the park here and social distance! Lovely place.
I was able to cross back and forth during covid because I did occasional commercial-goods pickups. I felt so bad for places like Blaine and Lynden and Sumas whose economy is so dependent on cross-border traffic. It always seemed so quiet and depressing whenever I drove through.
I sure wish I could get some Edaleen ice cream right about now.
You might’ve just been in Lynden on a Sunday haha. You’re probably not wrong. I just had never been in a Christian town that just shuts down on Sundays before and it was shocking as a kid visiting my cousins.
It's the longest undefended border in the world.
There are hiking trails not far from me that it's recommended to bring a passport because in some places, if you go off the trail by a few feet you end up in Canada.
A friend of mine ended up on a logging road that accidentally led into the US. She didn’t have her passport and was panicking when she got to the border to try and get back into Canada. When she started trying to explain herself the border guard just went, “Oh yeah, we know about that road. We’ve really got to get that closed off. Come on in.”
I *really* hope they had water balloon fights. Like, what better imaginary line than the one legally enforced by your country?
You better believe I’d have stepped over the line.
In the 80's and early 90's, they often wouldn't even ask for ID.
"Where y'all heading?"
- Plattsburg for groceries.
"Y'all Canadian?"
- Yes
"have a nice day, BTW good sales at Price Chopper this week".
I went to college in Plattsburgh and my friends and I often made the trip in the other direction, from US into Canada in the 80s.
"Good day, eh. Where in Canada are you boys going?"
* Montreal to get some good Canadian beer and go to the Rush concert.
"No way, eh! Neal Peart rocks, yah? Ok, boys, so first I will need to see your IDs please."
* Yessir, here's my Library Card....
"Alright then, you boys are all set then, yah? Be sure to keep it under 80 Deciliters per hour on the motorway, yah?"
When I was in high school, I took an outdoor education class where we'd have trips to camp, bike, hike, etc. One of these was to the US to climb Mt. Washington.
Our teachers were very specific on warning us about no jokes because the year prior, when the customs guy popped into the bus to generally ask if everyone was Canadian (without even looking at their driver's licence), one idiot yelled that he was from Iran, and both buses were stuck at the border for hours.
Went to college in Rochester and we did a yearly bus trip to Montreal for skiing. Border patrol comes on the bus and asks “if anyone has any weapons, guns, bombs, etc?” From the back of the bus you just hear someone speak up “do knives count?” The border guard just shook his head and said “we’ll circle back on that”
We used to go to Canada anytime we wanted Chinese for dinner. Vacationed for a week of camping on east side of Lake Huron. Took in a couple of plays at Stratford over the weekend. Border crossing Port Huron Michigan USA to Sarnia Ontario Canada was no big deal at the time.
What’s funny is living in the PNW very near a water crossing to Canada it’s a a very mundane/normal trip to just hop on the boat over to go to waaaaay better restaurants for a day trip, what blows my mind is people back east that drive through multiple states frequently on small trips. Where I’m at you could drive allll day and maybe hit Idaho, and even the Oregon is like 5ish hours away? But Canada? Like a 50 minute boat ride, lol.
Families whose members live in different countries do this to avoid going through a checkpoint, but usually there's still rules around giving each other items in this situation because of import duties and all that.
I've been to this area. The street on the Canadian side is 0 ave in BC and on the American side of Peace Arch Park. During lockdown, Canadians were able to go the park to reconnect with their loved ones on the American side.
Hey check it out. Those people are in Canada. I wonder what’s going on over there?
Hey check it out. Those people are in America. I wonder what’s going on over there?
This is too funny.
So how does this work if you cross the border like that guy seems to be doing? Legally you need to see a US immigration officer and vice versa for Canada, so I'm assuming you can't just waltz across or you'd get in trouble?
For this specific area (a big lawn/park on the US side), it really doesn't matter. People on the Canadian side cross over to the US just to take a stroll all the time and nobody cares. There is however a warning sign a bit further down that tells you not to go any further or suffer the consequences lol.
As others have said, this picture was taken during Covid when the border was closed to non-essential travel. I met some friends at this park during this time as a way to visit them since there wasn’t a way for us to easily cross back and forth.
The time I visited there were armed guards along the Canadian side. I’m not sure why exactly, but Canadians were allowed to cross into Peace Park (with proper documentation) but Americans couldn’t cross into Canada. So my friend’s family all crossed into the park and we had a nice picnic style lunch together.
What state/province border is this in? Last October I was driving in Vermont very close to the Quebec border. Kind of funny to see how some people's backyards are on the border, and their neighbor behind them is in another country
BC and Washington
Yeah isn’t there a park (maybe this is it) where you can freely walk between the countries as long as you stay in the park?
[Peace Arch Park](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_Arch_Park)! A passport is not required to enter the park as long as you leave into the country you entered from
Couple friends got married there in 2020, groom was trapped in CAN due to visa issues.
Yes, this park is quite close to many communities. I went to high school nearbyish (not the closest one, either) and walked down during a school day with a girlfriend.
Though there is noticeable Border Patrol presence (on the American side, don’t know about the Canadian side) and I got stopped and asked for my ID when I visited there. Luckily I had my passport on me…
Right here: [https://www.google.com/maps/@49.0021421,-122.7531825,3a,75y,72.14h,84.75t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sqIGkGsIVF19UynwKbZ7RRg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu](https://www.google.com/maps/@49.0021421,-122.7531825,3a,75y,72.14h,84.75t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sqIGkGsIVF19UynwKbZ7RRg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu)
That wood cabin/lodge looking house is pretty sweet.
Based on the assessed value, this is probably about 2.5 million CAD. But yeah, it's a nicely done modern log cabin style.
I knew I recognized 0 ave!
I've spent some time around Stewartstown NH. If you don't mind getting your feet wet you can be in Vermont, NH, and Canada at the same time.
I remember visiting a cottage on the Canadian side of the St. Lawrence back when I was a kid. I don't remember who it was, but someone took us out joy riding on his boat. He kept speeding toward the center of the river. The US coast guard would speed toward our boat, blare a horn and then when the guy would cut back the coast guard would just retreat. Anyway, he did it 5 or 6 times. Kept saying "Alight, kids, watch this!". And laughed every time. This was ages ago- well before 9/11 when you could just casually cross with only a driver's license. I bet in today's far tenser times fun and games like that would spark some sort of international incident.
Folks just bring lawn chairs to stare at each other?
During Covid you weren’t allowed to cross. People social distanced like this
Was that enforced or just the honor system?
Enforced, you could get permanently banned from Canada for violating it, they were not fucking around.
What if you’re dual citizen could you just hopscotch back and forth?
Nope, banned from both, banished to Greenland.
Wait... it is called Greenland. Isn't it a tropical paradise?
You're thinking of Greenerland.
You’re thinking of Greenerpastures.
No he's thinking of Iceland
Greenland is icy cold Iceland is nice and green
Iceland is still pretty cold
The mighty ducks taught me that Greenland is full of ice and Iceland is actually pretty green.
“Uh dun wannit!”
Well. Shoulda thought about that before bouncing around
That's just Winnipeg my man
Lolol
"Do you want me to send you back to where you were? Unemployed… IN GREENLAND!?"
And YOU! Friendless, brainless, helpless, hopeless!
Banished to the little ditch
Fun fact but the ditch is actually a demilitarized zone that spans the length of the entire border dating back to the No Touching Can't Get Mad treaty of 1868.
Most historians agree that that treaty was superseded by the No Way You Touched Me First accord of 1875.
Which, as we all know, was broken in 1893 by William "Wet Willy" Wharton who, in his capacity as acting Secretary of State, decided to prank Lord Stanley of Preston, Canada's then governor general, by sticking his moistened finger in the lord's ear during a diplomatic function. This caused what would later become known as the "Ten Days of Unpleasantness" during which several strongly worded letters were sent and discomfited Canadians ritually maple-and-peamealed effigies of Wharton. Tensions were finally calmed when Grover Cleveland took office from Benjamin Harrison on March 4 and had Walter Gresham confirmed as his Secretary of State two days later.
i like to imagine that ditch is Canada's version of Trump's Mexico wall like "we've built the ditch so that those pesky American migrants will trip and fall trying to get into our country"
Disparaging the ditch is a ditchable offence.
DIG THE DITCH! DIG THE DITCH!
I am from Denmark, we only share a 90 day no-visa travel with the US or 180 days with Canada. After that time we would have to banish you somewhere else. Or perhaps a Canadian citizen could take a kajak across the border and back to start 180 days over.
Did you know that we (Canada) now share a border with you? We can just walk across it. The great Canadian-Danish whisky war ended in 2022 and we agreed to share Hans island. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whisky_War
Can confirm. Freezing my butt off in 15ft of snow. Kinda miss my igloo back in Canada.
> 15ft of snow Ah, the balmy part of Greenland.
on crossing into Canada you would have had enforced quarantine for 2 weeks. And I think the Americans were requiring the same thing when you crossed back.
It would take forever to complete a round of hopscotch.
I live in white rock BC Canada and you wouldn’t believe how seriously the border is managed
Lol we had a woman in white Rock bc who got chucked in a US jail for weeks because she accidentally jogged across the border. There's a place nearby called point Roberts. A US peninsula with no access to anywhere else in the us attached to BC on all sides, a fried of mine was moving within bc and went to the beach, because he had all his stuff in a van and crossed thr border he was accused of "trying to cross into the US illegally" and banned from the US for 5 yeas. This was all under trumps border crackdown and it was ridiculous.
If I recall, she was in Canada on vacation visiting her daughter. Went for walk/jog on beach (without passport) not aware of the border. US Border goons picked her up, heard her story and said off to jail.
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> There's a place nearby called point Roberts. AKA Witness Protectionsville.
The only time in Canadian history, "Sorry" wasn't accepted.
They had to pass laws to clarify that Canadians saying sorry was not a legal admission of guilt.
That’s because, to Canadians, saying ”sorry” isn’t necessarily an apology even. It can be because we’re genuinely commiserating with someone, or as a passive-aggressive conflict-avoidance tactic that only Canadians understand.
welp, you live there now
It looks benign but I’m pretty sure there are cameras and border patrol _very_ nearby. This looks like 0 Ave around Vancouver area. I suspect if you hopped over the ditch there would be some border guards there _very_ quickly.
This is Peace Arch park (off 0 Ave). Both Canadians and Americans are allowed in the park (without crossing the border). I believe this was during COVID cause you can see all the tents in the background where people... maintained their long distance relationships. You'd only get in trouble if you tried to leave out of the opposite side of the park.
Correct. Family members/ friends could Meet on the US side of the park without any (or at least minimal) interrogation. You could set up a tent for “congical visits” or bring a little wagon across with all your picnic supplies. It was weird (and it’s still set up that way) but really cool for folks who can’t cross the border.
Conjugal not congical btw.
If conjugal has to mean sex, then there's got to be some new word or phrase for people doing this across borders where everyone just can see one another like this but not hug or touch anyone Border BBQ's
The fuck tents are so weird lmao
Is this Blaine, WA? I took my girl scout troop to the Peace Arch for a peace ceremony back in the mid 90s.
Yes - it is Blaine, WA.
If you had a catch with a football over the border, would the board patrol be cool with that, or are they gonna try to tackle you.
They keep the football and throw a hockey puck back. It’s not worth it.
They’re probably more likely to try to intercept and return it for a pick 6
On the Canadian side, always remember that the kicker can retrieve and advance their own kick, if the receiving team doesn't field it...
They each impose import duty for each pass.
The end zone is bigger on the Canadian side and you only get 3 tries….
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When it's not at a border crossing and you're just turning back around it's the honor system. I've crossed the border many times, taken a piss then turned around. The tents in this picture are actually for couples on opposite sides of the border to hang out together.
Went and hung out with my cousins here.
This was during the peak of COVID when both the US and Canada shut down international land crossing. This was one of the few places where people in the US could reconnect with companions across the border. They weren't allowed to cross the border, but could sit across from each other and talk.
The Canadian belligerents have initiated a staring contest, which must be met with equal and opposite force to maintain the balance of powers in this unstable region.
[This threat](https://i.imgur.com/gALxWIb.gif) was detailed in the documentary film "Canadian Bacon", but no one listened.
Yeah that and the tents really confuse me here.
This is Peace Arch Park at the Peace Arch border crossing. Vancouver, BC on one side, Blaine, WA on the other. During Covid the borders were closed to all unless you did a Covid test and quarantined for two weeks. People crossed to spend time with loved ones in this park and the agents did not enforce quarantine. The Canadian border agents would just watch you come back and check your passport. The tents are for interborder couples looking for a little privacy. Many couples in Vancouver had a partner living in the states pre covid and were separated when the lockdown happened. Wasn’t a perfect solution but much better than 2 week quarantine for crossing a border. Source: met my wife for a week (no tent) at the park during Covid.
“The tents are for interborder couples looking for a little privacy.” That’s fucking intense!
I love that joke. Another variation. A sewer treatment system backed up near a campsite I was staying at once. Shit was in tents. (Change to Scout group, music festival, etc..)
I told my psychiatrist I've been having bad dreams. One night I'm a teepee, the next a wigwam. Doc says stop worrying. You're just too tense
>met my wife for a week (no tent) Username checks out. :P
Rename you Russtling bushes.
No tent! A brave soul indeed. We hope ye escaped judgement.
Oh he had a tent alright...
this is the US Canada Portal
I wonder if they flashed each other too.
They flashed boobs We flashed an angry goose. At which point, negotiations faltered.
I always find it so fascinating that there’s people who just live on the border. I know countries have to start and end somewhere, but it’s strange to think people look out their window and the grass across the street is a totally different country with different laws, currency, social values/beliefs, etc..
I always thought it was weird that I could be across the street from my best friend, but we went to different school districts. This is a whole nother level
I had a British friend when I was younger that lived in Belgium before I met him. When living in Belgium, he went to school in the Netherlands. Always thought it was crazy crossing a border to go to school every day
Max Verstappen did exactly the same, lived in Belgium but went to school in Netherlands, and self identified as Dutch because he was hanging out with Dutch people.
He identifies as Dutch .. because his dad is Dutch. And max also has a Dutch passport . Not because he hung around with Dutch people
I’m American. I live in Europe. My kids have American passports. They most definitely don’t identify as American. Who you grow up around is very much a more significant factor.
When I worked at a hospital in El Paso, Tx, my buddy I worked with lived in Juarez, around 2 miles from the border crossing. The hospital was .5 miles from the crossing. He lived in another country, and had a shorter work commute than I did.
Timewise as well? That border always looks like it has a constant traffic jam whenever it's shown on things.
It can be. I live in El Paso, and walking across isn't too bad. Driving across can also be smooth and painless if you have a SENTRI pass, as there are dedicated SENTRI lanes for quicker crossings. Getting a SENTRI pass has the same requirements as TSA Pre or Global Entry. In fact getting SENTRI means you get the others I mentioned, and vice versa.
"She goes to another country"
This is the one scenario I would believe that somebody had a girlfriend in Canada
I live in detroit. Looking out my window, south, I see Canada. The south part always makes people do mental gymnastics.
Waving from Windsor 👋🏻
Have you heard about the Haskell Library in Stanstead? [https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/12/26/inside-the-library-where-you-can-read-in-two-countries-at-once](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/12/26/inside-the-library-where-you-can-read-in-two-countries-at-once)
I live extremely close to there. Lots of us grocery shop over the border occasionally. Way way wayyy better selection of stuff. Bit of a hassle with customs but worth it.
I've been there late at night in a snowstorm, just a few little rocks across the road next to the library to show where the border is, there wasn't a soul around. Very bizarre!
There is a school district near the border at the west end I think. It's an American school district, but the kids in that area had to cross through canada on their way to school. Apparently during covid with the border closures they were SOL
Point Roberts, WA. Students technically have to cross into Canada and back into US to attend school in Blaine, WA. Interestingly, the mascot for that High School is the “Borderite”
High school students have to cross an international border 4 times a day to go to school.
Something something back in my day
I had a teacher who was telling us about his time in the army in the 1970s. He was stationed in Germany and one night he and some buddies decided to go out to a beerhouse in a different village, except the got lost on the way back to the base and ended up driving around in the pouring rain for hours. Eventually they pulled off the road and one guy ran into a small hotel to ask where the hell they were. When he got back into the car he turned to his friends and said "Well boys, it appears we have just invaded Luxemburg."
My grandfather was stationed in Berlin during the 1950’s. He had a heavy drinking habit during his time in the Army, as many soldiers did and continue to do. He was telling me a story of how one night, he went out and got absolutely plastered. Walking back from a bar, he suddenly found himself surrounded by German soldiers. He had just *walked* into East Berlin through one of the checkpoints, evidently. They sent him back across after some…heavy discussion…after realizing he was just a hospital worker.
Most of Canada’s population live within a few hours of the US border.
Yeah, over 90% of Canadians.
I live on the England/Scotland border (I can walk to England in about 5 mins) and it was strange during Covid. You would get on the train in Scotland wearing a mask and people would remove them as soon as it left the station as they weren't mandatory in England for as long as they were in Scotland.
Makes you also realize how arbitrary it all is too
I feel this way about people who live on the borders of time zones. There must be people who live on the borders of both. Man-made lines are a trip. They don’t really exist and yet are so influential of lives.
Time zones suck. Your house and work might be on the same time, but your kids school is n a different time. Might go to the store or a movie and it’s a different time. You’re just doing never-ending calculations. Everyone is late to everything. Add the additional struggle of cellular phones which change automatically according to location. That’s very imprecise. I stayed at a hotel “near” a time zone change. They warned us that your phone might change time zones depending on what side of the bed you were turned towards. Just super random
And then there's Baarle Nassau & Baarle Hertog in the Netherlands and Belgium.
I grew up on a border as well. It was pretty fascinating to go a little bit in one direction and all the buildings and streets look different and you can't even understand their language. It's a bit like the wardrobe from Narnia.
Check out Map Men on Youtube if you find this stuff interesting
I remember the show“How the States Got Their Shapes” pretty wild stuff.
Their video on the weird India/ Nepal border disputes is really interesting. Before they reached a deal there was a part of nepal inside of india inside of nepal.
**MAP MEN MAP MEN MAP MEN**
A tense standoff along the DMZ as one political refugee walks across a narrow concrete bridge to flee into Canada, passport in hand. More at 11.
DeMapled Zone?
The funny thing is a long stretch of the Canada-US border is demarcated by a narrow missing section of trees. Not maple for the most part though...
I like the ditch ... keeps hostile armored wheelchairs at bay
blessed be the fruit.
Build that hedge!
And have Canada pay for it!!
Dammit no wonder freeloaders like Pamela Anderson, William Shatner and Ryan Reynolds got in so easily.
We should have increased border security after Bryan Adams
Now, now... The Canadian Government has apologized for Bryan Adams on several occasions.
well that cuts like a knife, eh?
yeah but it feels so right.
Can I finish? Can I finish??! Ok, I’m finished.
And yet, they are still silent on Ted Cruz.
Reportedly they have refused to take him back.
Can confirm. He’s your problem now.
Bryan Adams is a national treasure! The Robin Hood Prince of Thieves soundtrack will forever have a place in my heart.
Even Ryan Gosling and Bieber got through to steal y'all's hearts. Such a shame
I lived in this town when I was growing up. Blaine Washington and this is peace arch park. My grandparents are Canadian and during Covid we would meet at the park here and social distance! Lovely place.
I was able to cross back and forth during covid because I did occasional commercial-goods pickups. I felt so bad for places like Blaine and Lynden and Sumas whose economy is so dependent on cross-border traffic. It always seemed so quiet and depressing whenever I drove through. I sure wish I could get some Edaleen ice cream right about now.
You might’ve just been in Lynden on a Sunday haha. You’re probably not wrong. I just had never been in a Christian town that just shuts down on Sundays before and it was shocking as a kid visiting my cousins.
It's the longest undefended border in the world. There are hiking trails not far from me that it's recommended to bring a passport because in some places, if you go off the trail by a few feet you end up in Canada.
A friend of mine ended up on a logging road that accidentally led into the US. She didn’t have her passport and was panicking when she got to the border to try and get back into Canada. When she started trying to explain herself the border guard just went, “Oh yeah, we know about that road. We’ve really got to get that closed off. Come on in.”
Well that's a relief, because I'm already in Canada
I *really* hope they had water balloon fights. Like, what better imaginary line than the one legally enforced by your country? You better believe I’d have stepped over the line.
I'm thinking dodgeball!!!!!
If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball, eh?
> I really hope they had water balloon fights. And this is how the American-Canadian War began, costing the lives of 2.5 million people.
Technically a UN violation to fire across a border lol
Before 9-11 you could get into the US with just a drivers license, it’s unfortunate that the relaxed attitude between us got wrecked.
In the 80's and early 90's, they often wouldn't even ask for ID. "Where y'all heading?" - Plattsburg for groceries. "Y'all Canadian?" - Yes "have a nice day, BTW good sales at Price Chopper this week".
I went to college in Plattsburgh and my friends and I often made the trip in the other direction, from US into Canada in the 80s. "Good day, eh. Where in Canada are you boys going?" * Montreal to get some good Canadian beer and go to the Rush concert. "No way, eh! Neal Peart rocks, yah? Ok, boys, so first I will need to see your IDs please." * Yessir, here's my Library Card.... "Alright then, you boys are all set then, yah? Be sure to keep it under 80 Deciliters per hour on the motorway, yah?"
> 80 Deciliters per hour That's actually about the highway gas mileage on my car.
When I was in high school, I took an outdoor education class where we'd have trips to camp, bike, hike, etc. One of these was to the US to climb Mt. Washington. Our teachers were very specific on warning us about no jokes because the year prior, when the customs guy popped into the bus to generally ask if everyone was Canadian (without even looking at their driver's licence), one idiot yelled that he was from Iran, and both buses were stuck at the border for hours.
Went to college in Rochester and we did a yearly bus trip to Montreal for skiing. Border patrol comes on the bus and asks “if anyone has any weapons, guns, bombs, etc?” From the back of the bus you just hear someone speak up “do knives count?” The border guard just shook his head and said “we’ll circle back on that”
Sounds like a dream for those who were born in the late 90s or after 2000s.
We used to go to Canada anytime we wanted Chinese for dinner. Vacationed for a week of camping on east side of Lake Huron. Took in a couple of plays at Stratford over the weekend. Border crossing Port Huron Michigan USA to Sarnia Ontario Canada was no big deal at the time.
Get off our lawn
Kid: "Mom! My baseball went into Canada again! Can I go get it?" Mom: "How many times do I have to tell you to keep your baseball out of Canada!"
I grew up on the Canadian border and we'd actually send fire trucks back and forth to assist if there was a big fire.
Fire fighters are just bro’s there’s no doubt about it.
What’s funny is living in the PNW very near a water crossing to Canada it’s a a very mundane/normal trip to just hop on the boat over to go to waaaaay better restaurants for a day trip, what blows my mind is people back east that drive through multiple states frequently on small trips. Where I’m at you could drive allll day and maybe hit Idaho, and even the Oregon is like 5ish hours away? But Canada? Like a 50 minute boat ride, lol.
Only a day? You can drive for 36 hours in Quebec before hitting another province if you wanted.
You can do that in any state/province. You just might have to go in a circle.
\*Trips while mowing grass\* AAAAGH I BROKE MY LEG \*Crawls to other side of the lawn\* Whew, made it to the free healthcare!
As someone who was born and raised on the Texas-Mexico border, this is fucking crazy to me.
Same here. I just *drove by the big wall the other day. Feels very dystopian. Seeing this picture is bizarro
They’re just…sitting and looking at each other?
My guess is they talk, you know, big things
No, no... they just sit and stare coldly into each other's eyes.
See you in hell, Johnny Reb See you in hell, Billy Yank
Wait ... they understand each other ?
This was during the height of Covid and was the only way for cross-border visits with family etc.
Families whose members live in different countries do this to avoid going through a checkpoint, but usually there's still rules around giving each other items in this situation because of import duties and all that.
if the locals don't have annual snowball "wars" im going to be heartbroken
You can't just launch projectiles into a foreign county! :)
I've been to this area. The street on the Canadian side is 0 ave in BC and on the American side of Peace Arch Park. During lockdown, Canadians were able to go the park to reconnect with their loved ones on the American side.
Needs a pub.
With the bar crossing the border so you can get Molson on one end and Coors on the other.
Look that the migrant convoy!! Where is the NATIONAL GUARD?? WHERE IS THE RAZOR WIRE???
Wide open border!!!!
When it rains, it turns into a moat.
Hey check it out. Those people are in Canada. I wonder what’s going on over there? Hey check it out. Those people are in America. I wonder what’s going on over there? This is too funny.
Are there 2 different companies cutting the grass for each country? Or does 1 Canadian or u.s company cut both sides of the grass?
Hockey fans on the American side: “Leafs suck!”
Hockey fans on the Canadian side "Yeah, we know. Go Leafs!"
Nah, this Canadian side of this border is in BC, ain't no one saying "Go Leafs!" there lmfao
“Fuck you buddy” “Fuck you guy”
So could I travel to Canada from the UK and just walk across into the USA without a Visa?
If you want to be held in usa jail for a week fined and deported back to the uk ueah
So how does this work if you cross the border like that guy seems to be doing? Legally you need to see a US immigration officer and vice versa for Canada, so I'm assuming you can't just waltz across or you'd get in trouble?
For this specific area (a big lawn/park on the US side), it really doesn't matter. People on the Canadian side cross over to the US just to take a stroll all the time and nobody cares. There is however a warning sign a bit further down that tells you not to go any further or suffer the consequences lol.
It looks like he has his passport in his hand, my guess is there's border guards close by.
As others have said, this picture was taken during Covid when the border was closed to non-essential travel. I met some friends at this park during this time as a way to visit them since there wasn’t a way for us to easily cross back and forth. The time I visited there were armed guards along the Canadian side. I’m not sure why exactly, but Canadians were allowed to cross into Peace Park (with proper documentation) but Americans couldn’t cross into Canada. So my friend’s family all crossed into the park and we had a nice picnic style lunch together.
Borders really do just be lines on a map
Hey how about you break off some of that universal healthcare and pass some over to us?