Yes, 911 changed lots for us all.
Passports are the rule now, which I can totally understand ... the world is truly smaller, and we have become such a multi-cultural society, to what we were in the past. Thus, easy for infiltrators to merge and be unnoticed. In the other sense, it's too bad, as it was so nice that our two countries honoured each other with the trust in the past.
I don't know about USA, but here, if your passport expires it takes more steps to get it re-newed, than if you do it before expiry. So now, I just have to keep remembering to stay on top of it ... just in case I want to head off somewhere. Not that, that seems to happen!
The horse vs. car issue ... oh so true!
Though, if they'd only change those crossings for deers, all would be good!!! (that one keeps me smiling every time I see a deer cross sign!!)