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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
In France, my home country, there is a restaurant (or multiple restaurants) and a playground at every full-service rest stop, and there are many more of these rest stops per unit of distance than in the US.

I used to drive to Pennsylvania rather often at one point, and the rest stop we used has a playground, pet spot and vending machines. It's true that it's not typical of US rest stops.

The difference is that France decided long ago to create an ecosystem along the "autoroute" (highway) that would allow users to never leave the highway, so that they could get to their destination more rapidly and with greater ease. The rest stops are owned and operated by the highway operator, in partnership with certain chains of restaurants. It's in that operator's interest to make the stops as comfortable as it can.

The US did not develop such a plan, and therefore users of interstates or similar need to leave the road and look for their own accommodation or food or entertainment, except when a state decides to create a nice rest stop, perhaps at a border, or scenic outlook or historical location.

[/quote]

[b]That is an interesting perspective, to create a separate "ecosystem" designed to keep people on the highway.

This is not something I would use. I prefer to get off the highway and get a feel.for the area. Often we plan rest stops around places of interest that take only about a half hour to see. I want to look at something different besides highway rest stops.[/b]

Of course, there are times when I just want to get to my destination as quickly as possible. Then I will go to a rest stop, go to the bathroom, maybe get a cup of coffee, and get back on the road as quickly as possible. I don't plan to spend a lot of time there, so all I care about are that the facilities are clean.[/quote]

A separate "ecosystem" that discourages people from exploring/patronizing shops/restaurants/etc.  is bad for the  local economy too. [/quote]

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