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100 great things about America (26-50)

By
Scott Olster
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By
Scott Olster
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 3, 2013, 9:00 AM ET

[The list: 1-25 | 26-50 | 51-75 | 76-100]

26. Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
If those oversized balloons don’t fill you with nostalgic joy, you might want to check your pulse.

134034262-macys-parade
Timothy A. Clary/AFP—Getty Images

27. The Amish
No TVs. No Apple products. No electricity. And yet they thrive. Fascinating.

28. Billy Joel
Long Island’s piano man.

29. Harlem Shake
How do they do that?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vJiSSAMNWw&w=545&h=307]

30. Muhammad Ali
He floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee.

31. The Price is Right
A show so great, not even Drew Carey can mess it up.

Frederick M. Brown—Getty Images

32. Mall of America
America’s real national cathedral.

33. The Wizard of Oz
Brilliant as musical, as camp, as metaphor for the Gold Standard.

pen4415-oz
Courtesy of Corbis

34. Fallingwater House
Timemagazine couldn’t have described it more succinctly in 1938, calling it “Wright’s most beautiful job.”

35. Chicken and waffles
Is it breakfast? Is it dinner? Who cares. It’s one of the finest gifts the South has given us.

Courtesy of Corbis

36. OK Cupid/Online dating
Helping you find “true love” at the click of a mouse.

37. The Federal Reserve
Keeper of our currency, and trusty steward through the latest economic malaise.

94903675-fed-reserve
Jay Mallin/Bloomberg—Getty Images

38. Stan Lee/Marvel
Never have more freaks and geeks — and billions of dollars — come from the mind of one man.

39. Buffalo wings
Add beer and sports, and you have the American Holy Trinity.

42-47149417-waffles
Courtesy of Corbis

40. Cotton Candy
Sugar, air, and coloring come together to give you your childhood back.

41. Selfies
Taking self-absorption to a whole new level.

42. Long Island Iced Tea
What’s more American than every single kind of liquor thrown together?

43. The Coen Brothers
Name a bad Coen brothers’ movie. Go ahead, we’ll wait.

50960516-coenbros
Courtesy: Jean-Christian Bourcart

44. Post-its
Making you look busy at work since 1968.

78739850-postits

45. Little League
No agents, no egos, no steroids – the pastime at its purest.

46. The Jersey Shore boardwalk
Snooki and Chris Christie can agree, this iconic summer destination will surely bounce back after Hurricane Sandy.

42-20040151-jerseyshore
Courtesy of Corbis

47. Beer pong
At Dartmouth, they play it with paddles. In the Northeast, some call it Beirut. But regardless, we all know how this thing works.

48. Doritos Locos tacos
A veritable job creator. Number of American jobs generated by the tacos in the past year: 15,000.

49. Southern hospitality
“I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.” — Blanche DuBois

50. The New York Times Crossword
Can anyone actually finish these?

pl6914-nytimes
Courtesy of Corbis

[The list: 1-25 | 26-50 | 51-75 | 76-100]

About the Author
By Scott Olster
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

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