Shabbos atmosphere in America

In Israel we live in a religious neighborhood. On Shabbos there are no cars in the street. This past Shabbos we were in NYC. Walking home from Friday night dinner my little 6 year old told me it didn't feel like Shabbos. Why not, I asked? She answered, because look at all the cars, buses and trucks driving. I grew up in America so I hardly noticed, but my kids who grew up in Israel notice the difference. After thinking about it I realized that it was a tremendous thing. My kids know that on Shabbos everything stops, there are no cars, buses etc., they really experience Shabbos.