American tourist and actor Ben Pike, while traveling through Europe, unexpectedly discovered Košice for himself and was so impressed that he dedicated a series of enthusiastic videos about the city to his Instagram. He was most impressed by the Singing Fountain on Main Street, which he compared to the famous fountain show at the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas.
"You are in a small town in eastern Slovakia, and you have a musical fountain here, like at The Bellagio in Las Vegas," he wrote in one of his posts. This unexpected find became a symbol for him of a city that, in his opinion, significantly exceeds expectations.
The Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas
Gastronomic and Cultural Discoveries
Ben's trip, which he calls "impulsive," is often guided by artificial intelligence prompts that choose random cities for him. This is how he ended up in Košice, where many discoveries awaited him. In addition to the fountain, the American's attention was drawn to local gastronomy. He was surprised by the popularity of corn as a pizza ingredient – this is rare in the USA.
He also humorously commented on the mascot of one of the local burger joints, which reminded him of a "stolen" character from the McDonald's chain. However, he evaluated the burger itself positively, noting that the taste was less "artificial" than in American counterparts.
Unexpected Compliments to Residents
In addition to architecture and food, Ben Pike also paid attention to the local residents. In one of the videos, he noted that in Košice, "everyone is very muscular." This unusual compliment sparked lively discussion among his followers.
With his positive and sincere impressions, the American traveler showed that even small European cities like Košice can be pleasantly surprising and leave vivid memories. His story once again proves that for real discoveries, it is not always necessary to travel to hyped tourist capitals.
