In America today, people really do live only to work.

[Mercury]

The owners of this site are right on in saying that, in America, people live to work. And American people today really only live to work. It especially shows in all of the places of fun that have been either abandoned and left to fall into ruin, or demolished and turned into places of business. A few that I am aware of include;

Riverview Park (Chicago, Illinois).
Riverview was an amusement park on Belmont and Western Avenues (now an extremely bad neighborhood!) most known for a popular roller coaster called the Bobs. Used to be a lot of fun.

Riverview was closed, demolished, and is now a shopping center.

Kiddie Kingdom (Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois).
Kiddie Kingdom was another place of fun for people. It had a number of amusement rides including a Rock-o-Plane, a scrambler, a Tilt-A-Whirl, and a Spider.

Kiddie Kingdom was closed in 1984 and in it's footprint now stands the 31 story Oakbrook Terrace Tower and a number of other businesses.

Ebenezer Floppen Slopper's Wonderful Water slides (Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois).
Located on a large hill across the intersection of Roosevelt Road and Route 83 from the Oakbrook Terrace Tower, it was another popular summer destination. First started with two 800-foot concrete water slides and then expanded with two racer slides, two tube slides that went underground, and a smaller inner tube slide for kids.

Ebenezer Floppen Slopper's Wonderful Water slides sits abandoned and has fallen into ruin, the hill having become an overgrown jungle.

Rainbow Falls Water Park (Plover, Wisconsin).
Located in the small Wisconsin community of Plover, Rainbow Falls was nonetheless a popular destination for people looking to escape the summer heat. Reportedly had lots of great fun including a wave pool, water slides, and other attractions.

Rainbow Falls was closed and demolished and replaced by businesses.

Kiddieland (Melrose Park, Illinois).
Kiddieland was an amusement park in the west suburbs of Chicago that was also popular for kids and adults alike. Rides included a roller coaster (the Little Dipper), a water flume ride, a scrambler, a Tilt-A-Whirl, and a swinging pirate ship ride called the "Galleon".

Kiddieland closed for good in September 2009 and was subsequently demolished. In it's footprint now stands a Costco store.

The United States of America has gone almost full circle from a mix of work and play to strictly work and business only. Add in the rapidly growing hatred, and it's no wonder all conversations between strangers are exclusively business related.

[Nailer]

This is why:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qv0C1R1yZQ

[Mercury]

Making matters worse, Americans don't follow weekly, monthly, or yearly schedules anymore. They follow only daily schedules. In other words, the schedule is based on the day. And it follows the same pattern following the Earth's spin. Get up, shower, go to work, have lunch, work more, go home, have dinner, clean, and go to bed. And Americans are so used to it that the mental daily chant is;

"Here we go again.
Same old stuff again.
Marching down the avenue.
80 years, we'll be through."

[E Irizarry R&B Singer]

Depressing-a.s.s. thread but it's veraciously true nonetheless.