true but compared to other places we don't live right next to history or deeper history.Sorry / afederiniz for straying a bit off topic but I feel so sad hearing Americans underappreciating their historical heritage. Having worked in the past in the sphere of culture, history, monuments preservation and museums, I travelled USA extensively, visiting much of its historical monuments in almost every state and in Puerto Rico. Nice guys from the US Government who cooperated with us told us this same thing many times (they probably tell that to all visitors from the Old World), and I hotly debated with them. To apperciate others' heritage you don't need to underappreciate your own - that's what I was telling them emphatically. I doubt however they've changed their mantra
Istanbul is a living museum indeed, but the US has no less rich heritage. Some of the Spanish colonial buildings on American shores are just little younger than the Turkish Istanbul. And Indian pueblo cities were contemporary to the Byzantine Constantinople.
Dear fellow pipester anotherbob, don't take this as an attack on what you're saying, my rant is only about those nice guys, whose annoying mantra has been recalled in my memory by your innocent words