What do Cali people think of New Yorkers? (San Diego: home, layoffs)

[bhcompy]

The main complaint I have about east coasters and midwesterners is the constant need to state how much better NYC, Boston, Chicago, St Louis, Philly, or wherever else they are from is than CA. If you love it so much, stay there. Please.

[Sassberto]

Originally Posted by mmouwse

SF reminds me very much of NY! Alive, vibrant, ethnic but accepting, lots of cultural events and opportunities, fine arts, education, thriving nightlife, thriving businesses (internatioanl, natioanl, and local), strong attitudes, acceptance and mixing of cultures... They are both port cities...
mmmmm...so much more similar than differrent, imho.

I don't want to turn it into an NYC vs. SF discussion... but you could use those same terms to describe almost anywhere. I think SF'ers think that because their city has some density that makes it similar to NYC.

But there is no analogue to NYC on the west coast IMO. NYC is more diverse in terms of socioeconomics, race and ethnicity. NYC is vast and most people never see it all. It is constantly in a state of change and renewal. SF, to me, seems more to be a sort of playground for the very wealthy than a working city. To me it's not a place where people go to make something of themselves the way people do in NY. Without the rest of the bay area (Silicon Valley for white collar and Oakland for industrial), I am not sure that SF is relevant in the way Manhattan continues to be.

[sav858]

Originally Posted by Mach50

I just want to share this little anecdote on the topic:

We had a visitor from NYC (orginally from Scotland) come out here (OC/LA) for the first time. The first thing that bugged her was that everyone was Blonde and drove a BMW. She then turned to us and said: "wow so it is true"...as the weekend went further, she became more and more nauseated with the "fakeness factor".

We are moving back up to RWC this weekend, so she will come out and compare SoCal to NorCal in a few months...I am curious to see the differences she picks up.

I don't necessarily think those types are fake its just who they are and that bugs people. And while there is that element to LA/OC I just think those types stand out more b/c how they look. People with fake boobs and platinum blond hair are just going to stick out like a sore thumb anywhere so those types are more noticeable. Plus when you have stereotypes stuck in your head its much easier to notice them and continually to focus on them while forgetting all the normal people around.

[Mach50]

Originally Posted by sav858

I don't necessarily think those types are fake its just who they are and that bugs people. And while there is that element to LA/OC I just think those types stand out more b/c how they look. People with fake boobs and platinum blond hair are just going to stick out like a sore thumb anywhere so those types are more noticeable. Plus when you have stereotypes stuck in your head its much easier to notice them and continually to focus on them while forgetting all the normal people around.

I 100% agree with you, but it definitely shows that there is a stereotype. Honestly in her case, she is from Scotland only 3 years in NYC, she thought the Blonde BMW "dog in a stroller" was all for TV, she never thought it was actually a real behavior.

It just shows what TV and movies can do to an area.

[Lovehound]

Originally Posted by bronx_kidd

I'm curious...

I have daydreams of moving to Cali sometimes ...this cold is killing me!!

how are ny'ers percieved ?

Answering your title question, we Californians don't think of New York at all.

Second, please be advised that Cali is a city in Colombia, and is the cocaine capital of the world. Some of us Californians think it's rude of you out-of-staters to refer to our state using the name of a foreign city, particularly one as infamous as Cali.

Third, if you do come to California, please do not tell us how much better New York is. We're sick and tired of people with New York City accents who live here and always complain that this or that is better "back there" in New York.

If it's so friggin' great in New York City, please do us a favor and stay there.

[Sassberto]

Originally Posted by Lovehound

Answering your title question, we Californians don't think of New York at all.

...

If it's so friggin' great in New York City, please do us a favor and stay there.

I think that would about sum it up.

[sav858]

Originally Posted by Mach50

I 100% agree with you, but it definitely shows that there is a stereotype. Honestly in her case, she is from Scotland only 3 years in NYC, she thought the Blonde BMW "dog in a stroller" was all for TV, she never thought it was actually a real behavior.

It just shows what TV and movies can do to an area.

Agreed, those stereotypes exist for a reason and there are those types here but it's mostly normal people from my experiences. Those shows really can influence people's perceptions. One of my friends from Northern CA comes down and visits every now and then and is always comparing the two parts of the state. She says every girl here is skinny, blond, and tan and uses shows like "Real Housewives of OC, Laguna Beach, etc.." as her "proof" of how its true.

I don't think SD is as bad as OC when it comes to that stereotype though. I do remember going to an A's vs' Angels game a noticed how many blond women there were compared to what you would see at the Oakland Coliseum, haha.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

Depends on where you live. In my experience most people in CA are either natives from elsewhere in CA, midwestern transplants, or from the sunbelt (AZ,NV,TX). They generally do not have much of a perception of NY beyond a tourist trip or Seinfeld. They don't get sarcasm, they don't like complaining (kvetching), they don't know what a Jew is (or any yiddish references), they don't get the accent, etc. They won't find your "NY attitude" cute or funny.. they will be intimidated by your forwardness.

You're obviously not talking about L.A., specifically the West Side! If anything that was even more true in the mid 20th century, when Fairfax/WeHo were filled with Northeastern Jewish transplants - Fairfax High back in its glory days of the '50s/'60s probably had more kids born in NY (and NJ, Philly, Boston, etc.) than it did kids born in L.A.! And a friend of mine in his 50s who grew up in Beverly Hills referred to BH of the '50s-70s, i.e. prior to what he called "Iran's invasion of the West Side", as "Beverly Hills, NJ" given its resemblance to a wealthy suburb of NY or Philly.

It's still true today L.A.'s West Side even if there's no longer a "dominance" - Venice and Brentwood are full of NY transplants. I will say the attitude has changed towards New Yorkers in California - Southern Californians used to really dislike New Yorkers, now they seem to love them. In the Bay Area it's a little more complex - but I don't notice any resentment of New Yorkers AT ALL. I think Southern Californians will get more crap than East Coast people.

[Sassberto]

Originally Posted by majoun

You're obviously not talking about L.A., specifically the West Side!

I think once you get outside of the ultra-cultured, hip / trendy parts of the city that appreciation for NY drops off pretty considerably. A person in Tustin or Corona or much of the SFV is not going to "get it" the way someone in west LA or Pacific Heights might.

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

Originally Posted by Mach50

I just want to share this little anecdote on the topic:

We had a visitor from NYC (orginally from Scotland) come out here (OC/LA) for the first time. The first thing that bugged her was that everyone was Blonde and drove a BMW. She then turned to us and said: "wow so it is true"...as the weekend went further, she became more and more nauseated with the "fakeness factor".

I have lived here my whole life and I don't have a BMW. My wife doesn't either. Also I prefer women with dark hair. My wife is Mexican. That is not to say that my wife wouldn't mind having a BMW. I told her the only way we would be able to afford one is if I sold my porsche or she traded in her Mercedes.