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Somebody posted here, and is probably now deleted, 'Never Move To Seattle', giving the reasons that this town was so unfriendly compared to where she came from, Chicago.
This got me to thinking, if Seattle is so unfriendly, then which city is the most friendly?
When I was younger I did a lot of Trade Shows and Art Festivals in different cities all over the country and can give a perspective from a visiting business person's viewpoint.
So, I'll start with our critic's city, Chicago: As an outsider, visiting as a business person I found it was very hot and humid the time I was there. The sweat just poured off of me and I nearly passed out when I put up my sales booth. The customers were quite indifferent and I can not say they were 'friendly' or particulary interesting.
New York: I've done several shows in New York and each time it was a great experience. The New Yorker business people and artists were very friendly and helpful, the clients were also very pleasant.
Atlanta: Vary, Vary friendly. Participating in this city was a great experience.
Los Angeles: Rather cold and indifferent. Nothing memorable about it except the participating actors and actresses who where also selling their art and I had a chance to meet them from a professional level.
San Francisco: Very friendly and helpfull. Specially from native artists and clients. Local gallery owners invited me to exhibit in their gallery. The local taverns and resturants were very friendly and so were their patrons.
The suburban towns in the San Francisco area were also very friendly.
Reno: Very friendly, specially the female patrons in the local taverns.
Seattle: Being a local native I cannot comment on Seattle much, but in retrospective, compared to experiences in other cities, it doesn't compare to my experiences in New York, Atlanta, San Francisco or Reno.
So, from your own experience, which do you think are the most friendly cities in the country ????
I had an opposite experience in Chicago. I've been there in winter and spring, and I've found the people to be really, really friendly. I had people stop me on the street to talk about how small my cell phone was at the time (this was back in early 2000). Also, the only place I've ever been in a restaurant and had guys send me over drinks to my table.
New York: I love New York. I don't find the people there rude or unfriendly at all. I worked in Manhattan for a year, and I loved every minute of it. They aren't overtly friendly during commutes and such, but out and about on the weekend or evenings, everyone I met was lovely.
San Francisco: Everyone seems pretty happy and friendly in San Francisco. I've spent so much time there, and everyone always seems friendly.
Denver: Super friendly people. I was there for business for a week and the people were super nice.
Seattle: I find the people in Seattle to be polite for sure, but not necessarily overly friendly. The people in the suburbs not quite so much.
I have to agree with you on New York. I've always wondered how New Yorkers got their brusque reputation. My experience with them has been friendly to a surprising degree.
Atlanta (my home for a number of years) - Very friendly. When most people there ask, "How are you doing?", they really want to know, and don't mind engaging in conversation. One of the few places you can go to in the country and have a 20 minute long convo with a cashier at Target, then exchange numbers and become friends. However, Atlanta can be a bit segregated though, and sometimes it's difficult to become friends with different groups.
Super Small Town, North Carolina (I won't even bother with the name...literally one of those towns with like 3 stoplights) - Extremely friendly. Good ol' southern country living, where you know your neighbors (even though they live 1/2 mile away), and people wave at each other when they are passing by in their car. We would BBQ, and people driving past would smell it, stop, make conversation, and you end up inviting them over for dinner. I grew up here as a child, and wouldn't trade that experience for anything in the world (although now I'm a city girl).
Miami (outside of the touristy South Beach) - Not friendly at all, unless you have something they want. Rude drivers, rude customer service, not a friendly or polite town. Can be friendlier if you are Hispanic or Caribbean. There were a few exceptions, but overall the city isn't very welcoming.
Kansas City, MO - Super friendly. People are extremely polite, and very welcoming. Got invited out with different groups of people after only talking to them briefly, and I still maintain contact with these folks today. Some of the most open people I've come across.
New York, NY - Surprisingly friendly, but most people are in a rush, so day-to-day interactions may not be polite. Once you start talking to New Yorkers in a more relaxed setting (i.e., bars/parks/etc), you find them to be talkative, informative, and wonderfully honest.
Seattle - Polite and reasonably friendly. This lady almost hit me with her car (I had the right of way), and actually pulled over to apologize! Customer service is phenomenal here, and people smile and say hello in passing quite a bit. I've found people to be friendly, and have been invited out with a number of different types of people. There are a few who do seem introverted/disinterested in being polite/friendly, but that is a rarity (in my experience at least).
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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The one I live in. And when I'm traveling, the one my hotel is in, yeah that one is the friendliest too! I can't say that I've ever been to what could be called across the board, an unfriendly city. To me that is an anomaly. I've gotten smiles and laughs everywhere I've been.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lil Tunechi
New Orleans.
I can't believe people said NYC, Philly, LA and Chicago.
People in those cities act like the biggest *******s ever.
That certainly wasn't my experience. Going out to eat in Philly and Chicago I've met some of the most gracious and accommodating people. Finding somebody with a laid back sunny and optimistic disposition in LA is pretty easy to find. And New Yorkers are extroverts and love to chat, so many of them are indeed friendly. You get what you give, and if that one jerk in Chicago got under your skin, that's on you taking it personally.
I can't believe people said NYC, Philly, LA and Chicago.
People in those cities act like the biggest *******s ever.
I lived in Houston for 26 years and we traveled to the northeast at least once per year. I never failed to be impressed with the friendliness in New England and NYC. Did I expect everyone on the street to say "howdy" when I walked by them? Of course not. But in more inter-personal transactions I generally find people in each place to be engaging. We were equally surprised when we scoped out Philly as a possible new home.
More often than not, the few people who are rude in places we've visited turn out to be folks who moved there, not the natives.
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