Explain the East Coast to my Son

malmo wrote:

The distance from Portland Oregon to San Francisco is about the same as Boston to DC.

So is the Sacramento Valley approximately the equivalent of the Jersey Turnpike?

I think that he might be able to learn a great deal from watching situation comedies, and then there are a few novels that give the straight dope, e.g. The Rise of Silas Lapham (Boston), The Sotweed Factor (Maryland), The Lords of Discipline (Charleston), Bartleby the Scrivener and Bright Lights Big City (New York), and Billy Phelan's Greatest Game (Albany). Maybe throw in some Elmore Leonard (Miami) and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (Savannah).

When someone doesn't care whether or not you have a nice day they'll say:

on the West Coast: "Have a nice day"

on the East Coast: "F*** you"

jjjjjjj wrote:

I think that he might be able to learn a great deal from watching situation comedies, and then there are a few novels that give the straight dope, e.g. The Rise of Silas Lapham (Boston), The Sotweed Factor (Maryland), The Lords of Discipline (Charleston), Bartleby the Scrivener and Bright Lights Big City (New York), and Billy Phelan's Greatest Game (Albany). Maybe throw in some Elmore Leonard (Miami) and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (Savannah).

WTF??

One thing I've always liked about older East Coast cities like New York and Boston is that you will actually see hundreds of people outside on the sidewalks downtown walking from one place to another. Very different feel from sprawling automobile and freeway- centered cities like LA and Phoenix which were built for cars. East Coast cities feel more like Europe.

I actually have encountered many more rude, impatient crazy drivers around LA than I ever have in the east.

People on this board are telling it like the N.E. Region is all of The East. You included N.C. and I would look towards University of Florida as well--they have more national merit scholars than any other university in the country.

That being said, in the N.E., it is good to have connections. People have lived in their same towns for generations and have lifelong friends. So, a fraternity is a must. Around the big cities there is crime and racism but I have found that Philly is the best city to avoid all of that. NYC is great if you've got money--but if you're not "in the system" or "pipeline" then the money will dry up. Boston is a little bluer in the blood, take that as you will. CT is about family, NJ is about family. VT is as liberal as you get. NH...I know nothing about them, same with R.I., is Brown there? Maine is great but they have charities there where they bring in black children to interact with their white children, so not a lot of flavor.

D.C., nah. Kind of a cesspool. Government is there but too much poverty, crime, and scammers. Again, if you're going here get in a good fraternity to get in with the good crowd (read: NYC, Boston people).

I love Maryland. The winters are crap, but not too bad. I love the food, accent and the people. Yes, The Wire has scared away many but just don't go to those neighborhoods. They're pretty easy to avoid.

DE is where banks go but not a lot else.

VA. Good mix here. You've got people that have moved from all over the US to be near the capital but still have the flavor of the south. Get's hot in the summer, cool in the winter and nice spring and fall. I like southern VA, if you're going historically black colleges, I enjoyed Hampton and feel that there are places for people who really want to succeed there. UVA has a great rep.

NC is beautiful. Longer summers, shorter winters, Mts, etc. UNC Chapel Hill may be one of the prettiest campuses in the US. Some racism but still better than NYC. Less pressure than the NE but has everything you would want in a college experience.

SC. See above with less prestige.

GA. Have you been to Athens, GA? Top 100 small towns in the country. Great place. Little hickish but very nice. No to schools in Atlanta--my least favorite city. Yes to Savanna Arts school. Try to live in a haunted house and remember there IS drinking in the streets.

FL. FSU is in the boonies and is really lower Alabama. Miami is a private school and is probably most like So Cal. UF is a great school and is very much like UGa but almost no winter.

Good luck.

jjjjjjj wrote:

Maybe throw in some Elmore Leonard (Miami)

No, for anywhere in South Florida, read Carl Hiaasen - dead on.

To above poster - yes, Brown is in R.I.

West Coast wrote:

My son (not an athlete)...

Whoa, stop right there. Now, pray tell, why isn't your son an athlete? I hope he's not one of those "academics over athletics" types.

Oh yeah, the East Coast (the whole enchilada) is a very difficult place to live. Their priorities are all wrong.

There's even more infinite variety within areas of the East than people are letting on here. No one is even mentioning western Massachusetts and northwestern Connecticut, which are incredibly gorgeous but still have enough cultural offerings to be interesting. The whole Route 7 corridor from near the Long Island Sound in Connecticut to Burlington, Vermont is a drive everyone should take. The Lee/Lenox/Williamstown area of Massachusetts may be the best place to live in the U.S., and it has nothing to do with Boston.

I live in NYC, in Manhattan. It all depends on what part of the city you stay in. I am on the West Side of Manhattan, which is also the West Side of Central Park. People are not rude. It is not crowded. I probably have as "convenient" a lifestyle as anyone in this country. It's almost 11:00 here and when I'm done typing this and I can walk out and within three minutes have an array of choices of places to eat and drink, and they don't close early.

The only cultural stereotype I'll support is that New Jersey totally sucks, and most of the people you see misbehaving in midtown Manhattan are from there. You think we'd act that way in our own city?

malmo wrote:

The distance from Portland Oregon to San Francisco is about the same as Boston to DC.

Broadening the range a bit

Olympic

North Cascades

Mount Rainer

Crater Lake

Redwood

Lassen Volcanic

Yosemite

Kings Canyon / Sequoia

Death Valley

Joshua Tree

Channel Islands

Arcadia

Shenandoah

Congaree

Biscanye

Everglades

Dry Tortugas

There's a northeast bias because that's where most people live. Same reason why nobody mentioned western mass or northwest conn. I mean, why not object to the fact that we left out the northern-most segment of California (like Redding, CA), an area the size of New England?

I do think that SoCal is extremely different from NorCal and the Pacific Northwest, and I assumed that the original poster did not mean SoCal because it's so crazy down there that anyone should be able to identify the major differences. :)

I grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and moved to Northern California (SF Bay Area). There is a very clear difference between the two as well.

it's interesting hearing everyone's thoughts on the east coast. I've lived my whole life an hour outside of Philadelphia, but I'm currently at college an hour outside of Pittsburgh.

It's hard for me to say if people are uptight and rude, since i've always lived here...it seems funny to think that people across the country are nicer on average than around here...

it's true that the 4 seasons are vivid. winter can be painful, but summer can be really hot and humid. cities have a lot of culture I guess. lots of history around. Tons of cities near by: phila, pitt, dc, ny, boston etc.

i've heard that he southern east coast is a lot more friendly and laid back than the north

I doubt the difference would be too much for him UNLESS HE GETS HOMESICK, or if he totally hates cold weather

E.C did a decent job but SC is very different then N.C. My problem with the east coast is the summers are so brutally humid.

The Malmo knows Medford Oregon exists? I feel special.

We live in this range of west coast cities. San Francisco is diverse but the rest have a more regional outlook, and they look nothing like the east coast cities in terms of urban qualities and the diversity and history of the people. Are there any college environments where you'd assume that a provincial, west coaster wouldn't be a good fit? For example, I'd advise someone that really likes the sun, politics and urban landscape of Phoenix to avoid Eugene. Young people can adapt to changes but on the surface that wouldn't be a good fit.

Thanks for all of the input.

Well he can kiss much of the natural beauty and top notch outdoor recreation opportunities goodbye, at least without a plane ticket or thousands of miles of driving.

No beautiful rugged coast, just a long flat beach...no real mountains like in the Sierra or Cascades, just the rolling hills of the Appalachians...no deserts, no lush coastal forests with 300 foot tall trees, no stratovolcanoes, etc.

But I suppose if he cared at all about these things he wouldn't be considering the flat coast, so never mind.

I would say that the "East Coast" has a lot more localism than other areas of the country. IE, people tend to have a great deal of local pride and have an almost subconscious apprehension or negative view of people from other areas...not to an extreme degree across the board (although you always have extremists) but on a very subtle level...and this goes for most areas - deep South, New England, NYC, upstate NY, steel belt PA. It likely has a lot do to with the roots established and age of the cultures established in these areas.

I am a "Southerner" who grew up in a upper-middle class suburb of Atlanta, in a northern family. I don't really consider myself "Southern" but when I go to NE or NY, there is a very obvious prejudice against me I pick up on and very patronizing attitude. Likewise, I know a lot of people down South who act like people from NY are from another planet. It is really funny to watch and experience.

Medford is a pit. There is nothing worthwhile about the town. I lived there for a year and hated every minute of it.

Jacksonville is OK, Ashland has character. Medford is a nightmare.

Get off your ass and go see it for yourself, loser. Tell your loser kid we don't want him over here.