The New York subway is comparable to the Parisian Metro. I've been to both cities and used those systems. I've never been to London, so I can't compare the underground, nor have I been to Chicago or LA.
I really liked the NY subway. Fast, and you never have to wait for more than a couple of minutes before the next train arrives. Subway and walking are the best way to get around in NY, I wouldn't want to drive a car in there.
But not every major city in the EU has a subway system comparable to Paris or New York.. In fact, only a few have something as extended as that. In the Netherlands, only Rotterdam has a decent subway system, Amsterdam's is halfway decent, and the other cities just don't have it at all. Tramways - Amsterdam's and The Hague's are OK, Utrecht's is rudimentary, and the other cities just don't have any at all.
Buses: excruciatingly slow.
Railways: used to be good, but right now prices are soaring and quality of service is way, way down.

In short, Europe has a few places in which public transport is good. So does the US. But in many places it's barely usable, and in quite a few places  - even in a country as small as the Netherlands - there's nothing at all.

The pen is mightier than the sword. But if you literally want to have some impact, use a typewriter

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