Brian's right. I had a long chat with him at HiveFest. Lightning is basically a centralized settlement layer.
It's easier than ever to use, and live off of, crypto in a completely decentralized, noncustodial way. But it's harder and harder on Bitcoin.
the ATM to cash you mentioned would probably be an option for me if i actually earned crypto :)
maybe it is a good thing that lightning is not so good. convenience would make people happy to use centralized systems.
See if any near you sell:
https://coinatmradar.com/
Good point, convenience is a trap, we all have stepped into before