What do Cali people think of New Yorkers? (dorm, high school)

[Alexus]

Although I've lived in CA for 20 years, I have no idea what other Californian's think of NY. I generally welcome anyone from the East who is not a racist and not ignorant. I prefer the east coast sense of humor, the greater depth and substance, and the tendency NOT to be a lark. NYers do not specialize in frivolity. The evaluation is on a case by case basis though.

The few NYers that I have met here seem to try to bring NY here. I often hear words to the effect, "In NY, we did it this way..." or "You gotta do it like we do in NY..." or "dat aint nuthin. In NY..." or "You not from NY, so you don't know what it's all about..." The habit of giving unsolicited advice drives me up the wall too. If I need youre advice, I'll ask for it. The assumption that you know more than anyone else in the universe can get tiresome pretty damn fast too. You're not superior just because you're from NY.

Other than that, welcome.

[Twinkle Toes]

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.

Come on now ... I'm married to a Jew, I love Jewish (Yiddish) humor and I can't wait for Curb Your Enthusiasm to come back on TV!!! I personally have never had any problems with NYers and in fact, have several friends from NY.

[Bunjee]

My first brother-in-law was a New Yorker so I formed my impression early. What struck me is he always had something to say about everything, and he complained and yelled a lot! But we were more a quiet family to begin with. I got it, eventually. We all did and it was fine. Now, it turned out much later he actually had mental/drug abuse problems, so...er, anyhoo...

Filtering all that out, I think the difference is NYers like to put themselves out there and always engage. And any "whatever" attitude drives them crazy, is thought to be a lack of caring or intellect when (case by case; that's sometimes true) usually it's just about not getting yourself into a lather over every bit of matter that dirties the shoe. To be honest, the degree of laissez-faire can be crazy-making sometimes, but on the other hand what's thought of as "engagement" can also be a way for certain people to get the chance to listen to themselves more than to have a conversation. So there's the good and the bad in every individual's way of relating, but if you have an intuition of where people are coming from it always turns out cool. I just think Californians don't normally go for rough-and-tumble when interacting with one another.

[Mr.Cat]

I'm from the Bronx and when I first moved to Cali everybody was super duper nice. When they found out I was from The Bronx they were even nicer.

[ExNooYawk]

I don't think NY'rs think about Californians and vice versa. Most people from those states are self-possessed and confident. When I moved to SoCal from New York in 2001, it felt like I moved to Mars, it was so different. Nobody ever worried about anything, nobody rushed to get anything done, directions to anyplace were 'as the crow flies'. It drove me nuts. After awhile, I got used to it and found it endearing.

One thing I will say, though, is that it's easier for NY'rs to move west than for SoCal denizens to move east. That's not a criticism, just an observation. In NY, there is no room for 'la-la'. You either do it or you don't. It's jarring to people who aren't used to it. I have heard many a Californian who was relocating back from NY say they much preferred the SoCal pace of life. Nothing is ever urgent. In NY, everything is (what time is my train, when are we meeting at the restaurant, what time will you be there, etc.). In SoCal, well, life's a beach.

On an airplane from SoCal to NY, I noticed how people needing to step into the aisle during boarding to put stuff in the overhead compartment would wait for allllllll the people to go past before they'd venture out to deal with their bags or some other thing. No way would a NY'r do that. You step out, get it done, people can wait and if they don't like it well that's their problem. Very efficient but often interpreted as rudeness.

To each, his own.

[Lovehound]

Originally Posted by ExNooYawk

I don't think NY'rs think about Californians and vice versa.

I think you're right! It just occurred to me (switching it around) that I could care less what New Yorkers think of Californians. It never occurred to me to even wonder about that.

I'm happy to let New Yorkers think whatever they like about Californians, particularly if they do it in New York, or if they keep it to themselves if they are in California.

I'm no expert on New Yorkers, but I expect probably Californians are a bit more polite on the average.

[hanna_house]

That's funny because shortly after I moved here I met a girl from LA. She told me she moved there from NYC due to a job and how much better it was and how she refused to think of herself as a Californian. No matter how long she lived here she would always refer to herself as a New Yorker. Contrary to my own sentiments, I moved here 5 months ago from Michigan and already consider myself a Californian. I feel more at home in San Diego than I ever did back in MI, or any other state I lived in. I should have been born here, just as I always suspected!!

Originally Posted by 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.

[mw_ch3_ch2_oh]

Originally Posted by Bunjee

My first brother-in-law was a New Yorker so I formed my impression early. What struck me is he always had something to say about everything, and he complained and yelled a lot! But we were more a quiet family to begin with. I got it, eventually. We all did and it was fine. Now, it turned out much later he actually had mental/drug abuse problems, so...er, anyhoo...

Filtering all that out, I think the difference is NYers like to put themselves out there and always engage. And any "whatever" attitude drives them crazy, is thought to be a lack of caring or intellect when (case by case; that's sometimes true) usually it's just about not getting yourself into a lather over every bit of matter that dirties the shoe. To be honest, the degree of laissez-faire can be crazy-making sometimes, but on the other hand what's thought of as "engagement" can also be a way for certain people to get the chance to listen to themselves more than to have a conversation. So there's the good and the bad in every individual's way of relating, but if you have an intuition of where people are coming from it always turns out cool. I just think Californians don't normally go for rough-and-tumble when interacting with one another.

Not to be a stickler, but laissez-faire is free market capitalism.

[Sassberto]

Originally Posted by mw_ch3_ch2_oh

Not to be a stickler, but laissez-faire is free market capitalism.

"Laissez-faire" is a French term meaning "hands-off". It is often associated with, but is not exclusive to, "laissez-faire capitalism"

[Fontucky]

Originally Posted by Alexus

The few NYers that I have met here seem to try to bring NY here. I often hear words to the effect, "In NY, we did it this way..." or "You gotta do it like we do in NY..." or "dat aint nuthin. In NY..." or "You not from NY, so you don't know what it's all about..." The habit of giving unsolicited advice drives me up the wall too. If I need youre advice, I'll ask for it. The assumption that you know more than anyone else in the universe can get tiresome pretty damn fast too. You're not superior just because you're from NY.

Bingo, you hit the transplanted New Yorker nail on the head. If someone from New York would simply realize that we Californians don't care how they do things "back home", or how superior the pizza is, or how bla bla bla bla bla, they'd have a chance of getting to know us better, if indeed that's what they seek. And we sure as hell don't care about the Yankees. We have 5 teams of our own to choose from.

The former New Yorkers I know who have left that annoying behavior behind them are some of the best, most loyal friends I have. I tend to get along with them because I don't fit the So Cal stereotype, as I'm extremely sarcastic, and give people no less than 3 times the amount of **** back that they give me.

To summarize, for any current or prospective NY transplants to California:

1. It's different here, so don't look for NY... you won't find it.

2. We like our pizza the way it is, and that includes toppings and bread you might find appalling. If you want NY pizza, stay in NY.

3. Yes, we know we can't drive in the rain. You know why? Because it never f'in rains!

4. The Yanks aren't on the radar, unless the Angels are beating them in the playoffs like they've been doing for most of this decade.

5. If you want to advertise your transplant status more than your accent does, use "Cali" for California and "the OC" for OC.

6. When we drive, most of us seldom use the horn. We also know why cars are equipped with turn signals. And Californians aren't taught to move to the right when faster traffic approaches them from behind. Very annoying, I agree, but it is what it is, so expect that.

7. The predominant color of nature in So Cal is olive drab and brown. The coastal hills are green for approximately 5 seconds after what passes for the rainy season here, after which they're blasted by the relentless sun to a bone-dry brown, which is the color they stay for the rest of the year.... unless they burn, at which time they turn black. We're aware of this, and don't need to hear how green the landscape is "back home". This is "back home" for us, and we're used to the lack of green. You might as well get used to it also.